2022-11-23: Happy Birthday, Sheryl!

• Log: 2022-11-23 Happy Birthday, Sheryl!
• Cast: Sheryl Nome, Leina Ashta, Liu Mei Wang, Rikka Takarada, Ujico Issa, Alto Saotome, Emilia Eschonbach, Brera Sterne, Banagher Links, Ennil El, Lucine Azul, Lina Lombardi, Kallen Kozuki, Rin Starking, Nunnally Lamperouge, Liam 7-020, Mineva Lao Zabi
• Where: Frontier Colony
• OOC - IC Date: November 23, 0096 (2022)
• Summary: It's Sheryl Nome's 18th birthday, and to celebrate, she's holding a concert--and the songs on line are her fans' top picks that they voted for themselves!

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<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        It's Sheryl Nome's eighteenth birthday. Now that the Macross Frontier has become her refuge home while the Macross Galaxy's whereabouts are still officially unknown, it's only natural that the venue that features her is as spectacular as she is. Located at the heart of downtown Island-1, the Frontier's main ship, a massive concert hall with a sweeping design reminiscent of the Sydney Opera Hall on Earth greets fans with rainbow spotlights glowing up an overcast sky lit up with the emblem of the Galactic Fairy: a golden heart with a fairy wing sprouting from the right side. While lines are long, workers are efficient, and it's not long before anyone arriving makes it inside.
        
        Within, the venue is done up in rich crushed red velvet and heavy black curtains. Posters emblazon the walls of the venue of Sheryl Nome, from features of previous Sheryl tours like the Galaxy Crossing Tour (https://srtmoo.net/mediawiki/images/9/96/Sheryl_galaxytour.jpeg) to the Earth Sphere Global Tour (https://srtmoo.net/mediawiki/images/b/b5/Sheryl_earth_tour.png), to ad posters (both paper and holographic) for Nome Pure Shield (https://srtmoo.net/mediawiki/images/8/88/Pure_shield.png , taglined "Perfect domination over the galaxy's suns") -- marketed initially in its summer debut as sunscreen but also good as skin moisturizer, so it's practical year-round--to lazily rotating holograms of the Galactic Fairy emblem.
        
        There's a row of posters advertising pre-orders for the upcoming release of the new music video for Diamond Crevasse. This one is more simplistic, aiming for a classic, classy look with a plain white background and Sheryl, dressed in a maroon evening dress, seated at a grand piano with sheet music in place. She smiles up at the viewer, who is graced with the mask she holds in one hand, her iconic drop crystal earring, and a lovely view of the dark, glittering veil over her chest.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/829115454084612096/1044313333605613718/sheryl_07.jpg

        A release date is listed for the new year, with text strips over the posters encouraging viewers not to miss out on the limited edition special first run, which will include an extended making-of video featuring details on the filming process and interviews with Sheryl and other important persons in the creative process.
        
        The front desk naturally has all these posters for sale, as well as several of Sheryl's albums, from singles to EPs and full albums, various kinds of merch from apparel to bags to drinking glasses and more, and a booth for bottles of Nome Pure Shield sunscreen/skin lotion. Intriguingly, there are glass display cases in front that are draped on the inside with black silk. Social media posts from Sheryl's official site have teased a new, mystery product coming up soon, and embossed cards in those display cases note that they'll be available after the concert. Fans should make sure not to miss it.
        
        Deeper in, dozens upon dozens of rows of seats circle a large central stage. Cameras are set up on various levels and distances, both for streaming and recording. Tiny lights line the aisles, and ushers are available to guide people to their seats as needed. The lights are still on, but it won't be much longer before the show starts. Fans will know the starting song line-up for tonight, because they were the ones who determined it: a poll on Sheryl Nome's official site ranked Universal Bunny as the #1 fan favorite, followed by Pink Monsoon and shortly thereafter by Diamond Crevasse. There'll be more songs performed than just that, but those are the front-runners and the ones everyone can look forward to the most.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

Banagher may be a touch nervous today, as Leina is walking without assistive aids, newly out of physical therapy. She's a bit stiff in her movements during the walk, but so far so good.

She's wearing an old Sheryl Nome shirt that she got second hand from not too long after her debut featuring the cover of her first EP on it, and a pair of nice skinny jeans, as well as some sneakers. In her hair she's got a barrette of a bunny face that's split down the middle into black and white.

She's been a fan since Sheryl's debut, she just has never been able to justify paying the ticket price because she's ridiculously frugal to the point of near obsession. The moment it was offered to her however, she immediately capitulated. Upon reaching the Merch counter however, the allowance she brought immediately dwindled as she bought a bag, a tour shirt, a few new posters that she's put in her new bag, and two glow wands, one of which she hands to the young man with her-

-doing a mental recount of the Gilla, she recoils at just how much she splurged, and the MYSTERY of the mystery product still remains enticing. "S'okay just, will cut back on cafe visits for a while."

Leina mutters to herself, as she pats Banagher on the shoulder sensing his anxiety, "Relax. It'll be fine. Our seats are within sight of theirs right? And we're at the end of the row. If something happens - we'll be right there in an instant. They'd want us to enjoy ourselves too, not spend all night worrying about them."

She winks his way, "So let's have a good time, and let them have theirs." Despite how composed she seems on the surface, Banagher will sense her excitement even behind the walls she's put up...

... some part of her can't believe she's finally getting to see a Sheryl concert live, especially Sheryl's birthday concert. Once they find her seats, she takes a seat, and taps her glow wand on her lap... on the edge of her seat as she waits for the event to start. However, she does idly ask Banagher, "How much Sheryl have you listened to so far?" As she grins at him in assessment, as now she's wondering if he actually knows what he's getting into.

<Pose Tracker> Liu Mei Wang has posed.

        The most lavish, expensive box seats for this concert were nabbed up almost immediately. The rich velvet interior and deep black decor offers extravagant comfort, drinks that make one wonder if there's some minibar-esque charge for them, and minimal distraction from the show, with a curved panoramic view of the concert stage.

        At the center of these seats, more like a big over-cushioned couch than anything, is none other than Da Han Zhong's most immaculate socialite, Liu Mei Wang, clad in a pitch-black, shoulder-bearing, leg-slitted frilly-yet-slinky dress, a folding fan concealing her lips from view.

        ...In the middle of Pink Monsoon, Liu Mei feels the inexplicable urge to test out her bottle of Nome Pure Shield on her arms, even though she's surely moisturized today and is hardly out in the sun.

        "...Hong Long, it can wait until an intermission, since I know you enjoy this song, but I'll need that bottle of champagne from our car in a little bit."

        Off to the side, a man in a simple black suit mostly making himself unnoticed, stiffens at being revealed (he's quite the fan of Sheryl's), then bows diligently. "...Of course, my lady."

        There's somewhat strange company in this room - it is, after all, essentially a perk she's treating errant members of Celestial Being to...but stray invites may find their way to a number of people, and the actual doors to these box seats are more or less open to the rest of the public...it's just that Liu Mei gets the final say on whether wanderers in get to stay around.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka has... kind of been having a rough time of it lately! That she's had this concert to look forward to has been kind of a relief - something to help get her mind off of everything that's been happening in her life. She bought the tickets well in advance, besides. She's not going to let them go to waste.

The trip over to the Frontier is something that she's gotten kind of used to by now, having made it a few times by now, and she arrives today at the concert venue. She's more than a little impressed at the effort that's gone into decorating the concert hall for the event - from the lightshow going on outside to the decorations inside...

...Well, she'd expect nothing less than the best for the Galactic Fairy.

Today's outfit is, of course, a Sheryl shirt - there's no time better than a concert to show off your merchandise. It's accompanied by a white and black jacket and a long black skirt.

There's a lot of merch on sale... oh, and preorders for a new music video for Diamond Crevasse. Rikka indulges herself a little today... but, oh - mysterious display cases with black silk hiding the contents. ...Rikka makes sure not to spend too much, to leave herself some extra spending money just in case.

With her purchases acquired and stored safely in the bag she brought with her, Rikka makes her way to the seats and settles in, waiting for the concert to begin...

<Pose Tracker> Ujico Issa has posed.

        She's still searching. But searching is okay, because that means there's hope. And Sheryl's concerts are miracles of technology - holograms so real that you could practically touch them. Ujico wouldn't, of course.

        Touch them, that is.

        But if she's going to find it again, maybe it will be here! And even if it's not, she's heard Sheryl sing before. Her voice is wonderful, and she's so pretty to look at. She puts her heart and soul into her performances! It's the mark of a true idol!

        They're something special, idol singers - they can 'connect' with so many people at once.

        Ujico's hair is up today, carefully coiled into space buns and a loose tribute to Lynn Minmei's curly forelocks. A black t-shirt with a large white star splattering across the front, jean shorts, and white ankle boots looked cute in the mirror, and so she wore them here.

        The question of merch is always a difficult one. She's taking an awful long time standing in front of the t-shirt table, but at least she has the presence of mind to not block other people - Ujico just stands a bit to the side, staring contemplatively at the different offerings. She already has that one, but she really likes it, so wouldn't a backup be good? But she ought to get a new one she doesn't have. And she has to hurry because she's supposed to join Liu Mei Wang and she only has kind of an idea of where it is, and--

        To anybody else, there's just a pink-haired girl radiating Concern Waves standing by the merch tables.

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Alto is pulling double duty today. As per normal he is acting as one of Sheryl's dedicated bodyguards. But where before he might have been doing that by walking the perimeter of the concert hall or guarding backstage entrances, he is instead now perched high up in the rafters of the structure, wearing one of the EX-Gear powered suits. And no, it's not because it provides a better vantage point to spot threats.

        Seeing as how the concert is taking place back in Frontier City, the EX-Gear Stunt Club from Mihoshi Academy has once again been chosen to perform their aerial stunts during the concert. Though this time with a stern, if somewhat playful, warning about impromptu maneuvers. So Alto's second duty today is such, waiting with a few others from the club high up in the roof of the hall.

        While his club juniors chat excitedly about their upcoming performance at a Sheryl Nome concert of all things, the more experienced Alto that's leading them is far calmer and quieter, having been through this before. He is instead calmly using the zoom function in his helmet's visor to look over the crowd below. Looking for any familiar faces.

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

        Emilia had made a lot of daring plays to be here tonight. An elaborate scheme around a civics report, taking the risk on booking two tickets and then... Sending a simple VERTEX message.

        >I know it's short notice but
        >A singer I like called Sheryl Nome is having a big concert
        >I understand if you can't or if it's not safe but...
        >Would you like to go?

        The gamble paid off, and Emmy- in the Sheryl shirt Milly bought for her, a short black skirt, thigh high socks, and plain white sneakers. As she walks in with her guest, walking past the posters. She looks up longingly at the Diamond Crevasse poster, taking a photo with her flip phone. She wants to remember that preorder date. She's saving her money for that new merch though.

        "I w-won a contest t-to, um, w-w-watch the f-filming." She whispers to Mineva, proud and a little shy. "It's m-my favourite s-song of hers, so it was r-really special. I c-can't wait to see it come out." Emmy seemingly hasn't noticed their unexpected tail, but it's fine. It's a big crowded event. "H-have you heard any of h-her songs yet?"

        This is the first time Emmy's had to hang out with her cousin since they met, and she's a mix of excited and nervous and wanting to know more about her. But there's so few questions she's worked out how to ask so instead she's going to try for a shared experience.

        "O-oh, um, you sh-should get anything you w-want that you can b-before the show. Th-though here they m-might have extras. And, um..." She reaches in, having thought ahead, pulling out two sets of branded glowsticks and handing one to Mineva. "Y-y-you'll need these!"

<Pose Tracker> Brera Sterne has posed.

Brera's understanding of birthdays is about as solid as his understanding of any other social affair or ritual, which is to say: Brera Sterne knows terrifyingly little of birthdays. He also does not care about them. What he does care about is Sheryl's birthday has caused a big event with a lot of advertising and now he's got to be extra vigilante in her protection.

But that's simply his job.

Where Alto's attention must be split with a second task, Brera doubles his efforts patroling the perimeter of the concert hall, ever alert for any signals or alarms should anyone suspiciously enter backstage. Being a cyborg has its advantages when it comes to certain forms of digital surveillance.

He could be making more of an effort to blend in, as usual, but fashion is an absurd concept. At least today he's in his violet long coat... even if those sunglasses are still needless on indoors.

While he's at it, he reviews the songs that were voted for. "Universal Bunny..." he murmurs aloud, brow deeply furrowed. The very word 'bunny' sounds strange coming from his mouth.

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

"Woah..."

It's just -- so much! So much of everything. Lights, noise, people -- everything! At first, Banagher feels more than a little overwhelmed. He wishes he'd brought Haro for the little companion's comfortable familiarity. But soon enough, Leina's hand is in his, and he smiles.

Leina -- and Audrey, up ahead -- keep him anchored to the present. Being able to focus on them keeps him from feeling washed away by the tide of the crowd's excitement, though it's still pretty infectious. As ever, Banagher's wearing a pair of cheap jeans and comfortable shoes, though this time he's swapped his typical hoodie for one with the Galactic Fairy symbol on the back. Along with Leina, he purchases one of the Sheryl Nome bags -- it looks like it'd fit Haro inside pretty well, and he looks a little puzzled to be presented with a glow wand. "Oh, thank you." He clicks it on and off a few times, giving Leina a curious glance.

"I'll get the mystery item for you, if you end up wanting it." Banagher offers. "I wonder what it's going to be?"

Seeing the crowd press in around Emilia and Audrey just up ahead, the young man breathes in sharply. He's about to rush forward to try and help, when Leina pats him on the shoulder. "...yeah, you're right. They can handle this. We can handle this." A sigh of relief, and he leans in close to Leina, kissing her on the cheek. "Thanks, love."

"I've never been to anything like this before. I really am excited! Thanks for bringing me with you." Banagher waves his wand in what he hopes is an enthusiastic manner. "Um. I listened to the Bunny one, and a couple others, when you mentioned her the first time."

It's been a while.

"Besides, it'll be more fun to hear the songs for the first time here, right?" Banagher makes sure to help Leina into her seat, placing their merch purchases into his lap so Leina has room to move. Some of his worry is for Leina, of course -- she's only just barely walking without a mobility aid. "This looks like... the experience of a lifetime! I've never felt so much excitement in one place before. Let's take a picture!"

Pulling out his phone, Banagher leans in close to Leina, snapping a photo of their smiling faces. Later, he'll make sure to get one with Emilia and Audrey included, too.

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Ennil El settled into the hall early. Even for those who would know her, it might not be obvious - she's favoring a soft cream top today, with a cute orange jacket to draw the eye, which is pretty far from her usual look. Sunglasses, too, working together with her shaggy hair to make her face less recognizable. But there are people here she knows, and at least one she expected to see. After all, it's Leina's fault she's a fan.

On the other hand - Ennil slides out her phone, takes a deep breath, and fires up VERTEX.

>Hey Rikka
>Didn't expect you to see you here
>Wanted to thank you for the other day
>picking stuff out, I mean
>Can you believe she's here too?
>but I don't think I can say anything

She looks down, for a moment, at two cheerful heads of soft brown hair, sharing joy.

>besides, it looks like she already got everything she wanted
>Anything you have your eyes on?
>only seems fair

She can definitely do at least that much for a friend.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        "... Are you sure you'll be okay, Liam?" Lucine looks up at Liam's shades, which are not there for show, but to protect his eyes after the recent surgery. Though, perhaps, it just could look like a fashion statement.

        Speaking of fashion, budgetting and available closet space does not allow for much in the way of wardrobe for Lucine, but her dark violet dress still works for nice occasions like these, even as plain as it can seem. Wearing her hair up and pinned back with her flower clips makes it seem more fancy, but not extremely so, even as she fidgets with the bracelet on her wrist.

        Lucine looks up at the line-up on her phone. "We got to vote in which songs we'd like to hear... ah, I'll see if any of mine came in--" Her eyes look over the list, and center on the song 'Pink Monsoon'. ...... why is this song going to feel more awkward now than before she had confessed to Liam "... Ah, Diamond Crevasse!"

        Sensing the anxious vibes of Ujico as they walk past the merchandise booths, Lucine's face brightens. "Ujico! Ah, how is the moss doing! Oh, ah, this is Liam!" Which is.... a very Lucine statement to ask someone, but it's in the service of centering Ujico-- at least, Lucine hopes. "Oh, ah, it's going to start soon, we should get to our seats..." Ujico will see the 5'5" Lucine with a young man a good foot taller than her in shades- an odd sight, perhaps, but there is no mistaking the way Lucine's face is giddy with quiet, nervous excitement.

        Later, looking down the way of seats and then up, Lucine blinks as she feels a familiar and slightly less familiar aura: that of Banagher, and next to him, Leina. One of them is anxious? And the other is... powerful one at that. In fact, both of them are on a level that makes Lucine suddenly feel a little self-conscious herself, remembering what happened last time she and Banagher met. "Ah, it's good to see familiar faces," she says softly, smiling up towards them. "Ah, Liam, is with me."

        All is well, in Lucine's world, as long as she doesn't think about how she couldn't come here in the Dianthus.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         It was not hard for the folks on the Juno Squadron support team to realize something was wrong with their pilot. It wasn't just that she had stopped wearing her precious flight jacket, the thing she protected above all else. It wasn't just her uncharacteristic hesitance to go out for flight trials. It wasn't even just her recent hairtrigger temper. Something was troubling Juno 1, and it would be hard for any of them to truly understand.

---

         "You got what?"

         "Tickets to Sheryl's birthday show! Come on, Lina, you've done so much for me regarding her that I thought it was only fair I repay the favor! I know you like her toooooo!"

        "I appreciate the sentiment, but I'll pass."

         "Oh no, you don't! This is an order from your support team! We won't fix the Nightmare anymore unless you come to the show and cheer up a bit!"

         "You gotta be--"

---

         "...kidding me."

         Lina marveled at the ornate stage setup as she and Alina made their way to their seats. The Galactic Fairy certainly wasn't one to skimp on the presentation, that's for sure. It almost made her feel a little bit better about the fact that she was pressured into coming here. Almost. Alina was wearing the t-shirt Lina had gotten her from Sheryl's tour earlier in the year, where this all began, and Lina was wearing a black hoodie in place of her trademark jacket.

         "You think she's gonna do Universal Bunny?"

         "Why would she not? It was the frontrunner in the poll!"
POT: Eight York is now set observer.

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Sometimes a person's motivator for doing good deeds is simply the act itself. A love of helping people and making the world that little bit brighter.

Other times, it's raw, unfiltered spite. For Kallen, the latter had been the tipping point in an important decision, when her stepmother came home from yet another of her frequented affairs, with what the girl recognizes as flyers with the Blue Cosmos insignia stamped on, sticking out of her purse.

Seeing that in particular, she had made a snap judgement call. Not staying anywhere near home for a bit. To that end, she purchased a few tickets to Sheryl's big show, and gave careful consideration to who she'd bring along. Emmy she knew had tickets already. But after some thought, she went and spoke to the Lamperouge siblings. Both to see if Nunnally would like to come with her, and to make sure Lelouch would know where they'd be going. To ease his mind, and assure him she'd take good care of his most precious sister.

With the harder part resolved, she still had another ticket. And a distinct candidate sticking out in her mind as well. Rin had been quite nice in all their interactions, if eccentric. And she thought it reasonable to at least ask her first. See how she'd feel about coming along to the show.

And so that's how Kallen came to be here as the 'lead' of an unlikely ensemble, decked out in a casual Sheryl Nome shirt the same blue as her eyes, a pair of casual shorts smaller than Ashford's uniform skirt, a pair of sunglasses atop her head, and... lightly-heeled boots that don't really fit perfectly with the rest of the outfit? Maybe she should have brought different shoes... but too late for that now.

She glances to her two compatriots in the adventure of having a fun time in an unusual place. "You two excited for this?" Of course, she'll help Nunna with any chair-related issues, if needed. And make sure nobody crowds her or bumps into her. The bright red hair is good for being particularly visible at times like this. She's also handling the bill for any food or drinks they want for the concert.

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.

EARLIER:

Rin Starking heard about this being Sheryl Nome's *eighteenth* birthday.

For some reason this gave Rin a moment of premature existential horror. The reason for this is unclear. But she laughed it off; "Sure, right!" (Yeah, uh huh, she's got to be like 24, Rin thinks to herself with a certain desperation not felt since the day she heard about the JOSH-A attack; she's just in *amazing* shape and beautiful af.)

"Anyway I am absolutely coming. Thank you~~"

SO

Rin came here dressed in aggressively casual clothes: a tank top with several strips of hypercolor fabric on top of black and a relatively plain if slightly ruffled miniskirt that is made extra ~dynamic~ by an exterior layer of prismatic film. Sparkle, sparkle! Rin's glasses sit on her nose as she walks along, having gone with completely comfortable walking boots since she's already wearing enough garish shit elsewhere; she has been taking a wingman position relative to Nunnally's chair for the sake of Maintaining Space for maneuver.

"HYPE" Rin shouts, which she explains editorially to Nunnally, "That means yes." This may not be the first time she has translated gamer language. Thankfully, not the words.

<Pose Tracker> Nunnally Lamperouge has posed.

        The Nadesico is frequently Sheryl's faithful shepherd across the Earth Sphere, so, of course, the mobile battleship is on standby just in case something happens to this concert. Right now, the livestream is being piped through the Nadesico's communication windows -- and the diminutive systems operator, Ruri Hoshino, watches closely at her station. There are plenty of other windows floating to her side to keep track of any dangers, but she's good at multitasking with her attention.

        (Behind her, Goat Hoary, the military adviser who's also mysteriously on duty, is also watching the screens. He specifically volunteered for this shift. There are other people who aren't on shift, and some of them, in fact, are in the crowds.)

        But of course, the Nadesico isn't hovering too close -- it would ruin the entire aesthetic.

        Closer still is one Nunnally Lamperouge, in the sort of wheelchair which might be familiar to someone like Leina. She urges it forward with nothing but her palm on the round receptor at its armrest; luckily, she's not alone, so she doesn't have to rely only on her chair's capability to warn her when she's about to run into another patron.

        Dressed in a Sheryl Nome Official Branded Shirt (someone was nice enough to help her with that one; she can't see her clothes, so all she can really say is whether she's wearing something or not) and a flowing cherry-blossom pink skirt, she travels along, beside Kallen -- luckily, both Kallen and Rin are mysteriously excellent at making sure no one crowds them, which means Nunnally gets a clear path, even with so many hearts beating here. She smiles, and her enthusiasm is gentle, but it is enthusiasm nonetheless. She'd definitely wanted to go. Perhaps her eagerness tugged at her big brother's heartstrings, when Kallen came to them; who knows?

        Rin gets the first reply, and Nunnally giggles, lifting a hand to her mouth. (Her other grasps a glowstick, in her lap.) "Hype!" She chirps, not quite managing to go so loud as to require locking her capitals. She makes up for her relative lack of volume by adding: "Super mega hype!"

        She is a warm beacon, happy to be here.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Earlier this week--once he had a clean bill of health and clearance to go ahead--Liam underwent surgery to remove some ocular implants. The transparent heat-shields were a BioNet prototype, and while they kept his eyes protected in the Proto Helios' cockpit, they never really worked perfectly right in other ways. People could see them sometimes. They got uncomfortable. In an act of bodily agency, Liam made a case for their removal, and went under the knife. NERV has bleeding-edge medical science in its corner, and a recovery that could've taken weeks is now about halfway done. He can see just fine, and the glasses hide some lingering pressure bandages and bruising.

        Liam holds Lucine's hand, and walks beside her, easily matching pace. He's wearing his grey suit and red shirt--the outfit that came out of the clothing bag Rei brought him when they met--and smiling. (Smiling!) "'Ujico?'" Liam says, as Lucine hauls him over. His own smile grows a bit more nervous. "Good to meet you."

        Lucine gets the both of them to their seats. Liam settles down, completely oblivious to any Newtype auras around them. He glances over his shoulder as Lucine greets someone, and--

        "Banagher," Liam says, his smile warming. "Good to meet you."

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        The general lights dim and go out. Around the stage, the texture of the darkness shifts--then blue spotlights come on to sweep across the empty stage. A remix of the opening melody of Universal Bunny begins, a synthetic beat to the round, rhythmic melody. A massive clock in the background ticks, second by second, as its gears shift behind its crystal face. Sheryl's voice croons in a rising note--but cuts before the climax in a tease of the finish. At the edges of the stage, clockwork robots clank into existence, constructed and constructing, dangling over the edge as the next one forms in line. Sheryl croons another oooo, oooo, oooo, before at last she stops teasing and, leaping up in a burst of rainbow sparkles from beneath the stage in the raiments of the White Bunny, shouts, "Woah!!"
        
        At the same instant, the robots snap to attention and whirl about in a dance while the clock above shatters into its component parts, gears turning even as the massive pocketwatch seems forever broken. The blue spotlights turn bright white, illuminating the golden gears and Sheryl at the center of them, one fist raised high. "Welcome to my birthday party!!" she cheers to the crowds. "Now let's get this celebration started right! Are you ready?! LISTEN TO MY SONG!!" She twirls around, shakes her hips, smiles over her shoulder as she raises three fingers, then ticks them down as she chants, "Three, two, one!"
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEbmGa3_qU4 (Universal Bunny, Live Version)
        
        The White Bunny costume is both elaborate and simple: a puffy white dress that curls in at the tops of her thighs, tied at the waist with a lavender obi, thigh-high stockings and a cape-like cloak, white tail-like puffs decorating her golden hair and the backs of her ankles. She sways back and forth, her smile candy-sweet as she brings her hands to the top of her head, gesturing up and down as if to mime a rabbit's long ears.
        "I am your white bunny: I hop, skip, and jump into an innocent glide
        "The Milky Way spills out into space! Hey, I want a nibble of that candy star... ahh ahh ahh ahhhh..."
        
        White Bunny Sheryl turns and blows her fairy-heart sigil to one side, where it chimes against a network of clock gears. The gears part, revealing--Sheryl again, but this time dressed in a sultry, skin-tight, highly revealing black outfit, a long cape at her back, hair shining purple, a crescent moon pendant hanging between her breasts. This vision is massive, towering well over the crowds. As she sings, she twirls around and shakes her black bunny bottom, which has a black powder-puff tail of its own:
        "I am your black bunny: a rough and rowdy, sexy flag
        "I'll give you a dangerous glimpse of my hipline, so on my wink, dive into my cleavage!"
        
        Her cleavage expands, becoming a shadowy forest dappled with light. The White Bunny bounces through the lit trail in a girlish stride, a basket of pale pink roses hooked on one arm, while the Black Bunny stalks swiftly behind her, tearing through the darkness of red rose brambles. She leaps and pounces, lashing a whip of thorns out to tie the White Bunny to a pair of saplings, binding her and sending her flowers spilling. As the Black Bunny closes in to claim her prey, though, the White Bunny smiles over her shoulder back at her, undisturbed. The Black Bunny smirks back, spreading out her painted nails to layer her left hand over the White's; both of their ring fingers glint with matching rings, two golden bands doubled over each other in an X shape and connected at the center with a rose framed in crystal. As the golden flowers glints, the Black Bunny bites her prey's bared neck while the White Bunny arches in innocent ecstasy:
        "Innocence keeps trespassing on my upper thighs to the point we can't be reborn
        "When we steal from each other forcefully, the crying angel, look out, is a demon."
        
        The clockwork platforms expand yet further, gears turning within gears, until there isn't a spot in the concert hall where anyone in the audience wouldn't have a good view. The gears start reflecting pale images within their circles of the Sheryls, though the main ones remain on the central platform. As the backup clockwork dancers do their dance, the Black and White Bunnys spin slowly back-to-back, their hands clutching the other's tightly:
        "You're too naive for your own good, 1000%! It's natural for me to be audacious, 1000%!
        "Defenseless on the inside, you light up my life and give me a reason to live
        "What's essential is pleasure, 1000%! What's ambiguous is the limit, 1000%!
        "Private joy is reversible, but even so, we dream the same dream
        "(The same dream...) The same dreeeeam!"
        
        As the instrumentals shift into a harder, heavier beat, the Black Bunny looms over the concert hall in apparent vicious triumph--but as she curls her painted nails, the rose ring glints on her left hand, and she rips herself off of herself. The shreds of her tear away to reveal a vision of the sweetly-smiling White Bunny. As she turns, cheeks rosy with hearts, she lifts her soft hands--and, left hand glinting with a golden rose, shreds herself away from herself, revealing the smirking Black Bunny. Again they turn, until both materialize, seeming to float high in the air, back-to-back over the stage. They turn without facing each other, arms outstretched to the audience as if trying to supplicate each fan to their own side. Soon they form as one, though, the White Bunny seeming to gain dominance until her outfit shreds, revealing part of the Black Bunny, each of them as one while ropes tie around Sheryl, dangling her limbs and hair as she arches out her body and gives the audience a sultry stare.
        "Black or white? Chaos and rapture. Dark or light? Conflict and embrace
        "Truth or doubt? Groundless delusions whirl around you good, yeah
        "You're just about to get chained up, toyed with, and fall apart
        "Heaven or Hell? Karma spins in circles
        "Whatever path you try to guide me onto, we'll have a stormy rendezvous..."
        
        The gears shift in and through each other as the Black Bunny's purple-painted lips whisper-sing. The White Bunny tumbles down onto the main platform, but she's pulled back up by wires, kicking her feet and smiling fancily before she's forced up to dance. The wires control her, moving her robotically as Sheryl sings in similarly robotic fashion, high and sweet and segmented. Clock hands, cruelly unceasing, turn until they snap the wires, freeing her... but also sending her into collapse as the backup robot dancers likewise fall apart. The Black Bunny watches, dismayed, as frames of the two of them bound together fall. All seems lost... until she materializes over the collapsed White Bunny and pulls her face up to give her a kiss.
        "My fairy tail will never end, still go on and go on, go on, go on...
        "A robin told me, 'Your story has me so bored I'm almost in a coma, so I'll just pass through, farewell'
        "It's up to you, I want to do it with you, I want to die with you
        "I want to live with you, I want to be with you, with you, with you...
        "I love the pain."
        
        The White Bunny's eyes fly wide. Above her and the whole stage, the Black Bunny looms, a smirk on her lips--but nothing within her cloak but the expansive gears.
        "So tell me your perfect choice!"
        
        The stage lights flicker and loop, from purple-black to pink-white to pure white, and the White Bunny smashes through, her outfit still torn, but her expression wild and delighted. The Black Bunny slumps on the stage, her purple hair tumbling around her, but the White Bunny reaches down and pulls her into a spin until they both face each other, rope tying them inorexibly together as they're bound by their matching rose bands. Sheryl, as the Black and White merged, rose rings on each hand, sweeps herself to the edge of the gear platform, arms spread wide, her ferocious and defiant smile spinning through the concert hall.
        "Smash your limits and seize your prize, 1000%! Abandon safety and indulge in pride, 1000%!
        "The attractive force of despair... I show you my all and give you a reason to love
        "What's essential is pleasure, 1000%! What's ambiguous is the limit, 1000%!
        "Private joy is reversible, but even so, I can't stop my love. I can't, and I don't want to!"
        
        As the backup robots spin, so too does the platform, pieces of it breaking off more and more until only one sole island, and Black-and-White Sheryl upon it, remains. She twirls and spins, reveling in her own union, until she bares her back to the audience. Smirking over her shoulder, she raises three fingers, counting them down as she sing-chants:
        "Three, two one!
        "Black or white, you'll never see... Black or white, you'll never see..."
        
        ...until she layers her wrists high over her head, bound together with red rope, glinting rings reflected throughout the hall. The outro clamors and stills into a few remaining, chiming notes. All goes dark for but a breath or two. Then...
Teletha Testarossa teleports in.
POT: Teletha Testarossa is now set observer.

<Pose Tracker> Ujico Issa has posed.

        Thankfully, it's not a Plant Choosing level of anxiety. After all, Ujico cannot kill a shirt through ignorance. Probably.

        And Lucine is a welcome respite from choice paralysis! Ujico straightens up and turns to see her friendquaintance, the wrinkle between her eyebrows disappearing as a smile breaks out across her face. "Lucine!" Is Lucine a choice elemental? Does she appear when people are facing tough decisions? Uji very carefully does not laugh. Lucine would take it wrong, she's pretty sure.

        "Franklin! I mean, I named it Franklin. It outgrew the terrarium!" She's delighted and proud to announce it, as if getting a good grade in Plant is both normal to want and possible to achieve.

        Thankfully before Ujico can get into the specifics of her homemade hydroponics setup or pull out her phone to show pictures, Liam is introduced. He's... "Tall," Ujico says before her brain can control her mouth. "...Very nice! Very tall!" Lean into it. It was on purpose. Her horns gleam black where they poke up from beneath her bangs. "It's nice to meet you," she smiles. He's holding Lucine's hand. Are they dating? Humans do that. (There are so many humans here.) "I'm glad Lucine brought a friend!" Her grass green gaze follows them as they find their seats. Oh, they came with more friends.

        That's so nice!

         She watches after them for a few moments before the countdown starts, and she turns to powerwalk toward the stairs. ...It turns out that all she had to do was ask an usher. Who knew?? But she gets to the black velvet box and Liu Mei just as Sheryl takes the stage, panting lightly. "Sorry I'm late!!" she stage-whispers, and hurries to take a seat.

        Oh, she's going with Universal Bunny first! Ujico didn't vote or look at the listings. It doesn't matter to her which songs Sheryl sings.

        But Ujico watches, entranced (and a little embarrassed by the visuals), humming along.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

It feels unfair to ask Banagher to do that just because she's TYPICALLY a spendthrift when it's on herself despite her actually ultrarich status, but it's still a sweet gesture so she just smiles and tells him, "Alright, if you're sure. Just don't cut into your food budget again? I don't want you living on vending machine food for a week again on my account."

At the kiss on the cheek, she squeezes his hand supportively, "No problem. In a sense it's 'both' our first Sheryl concerts live at least, even if I've caught the streams a lot."

He reveals that he 'listened' to the bunny one, and a couple others, and her face splits into a grin, "Just listened huh? Well then, be ready. Sheryl goes all out, so the presentation here is going to blow your mind." And hers, if she was being honest. There's a big difference watching by stream versus live.

With a grin she lets the two take a selfie, as she puts a spread open hand up by the opposite side of her face as Banagher, winking at the camera. "Be sure to send that to..." She feels something... off, and her eyes try to search the stands for a familiar presence, which is difficult in this sea of thousands of unfamiliar presences. "... to me."

She's almost settled on a spot in the stands her eyes slipping towards a distant glance at shaggy hair, when Lucine sits down.

That distracts her immediately, as she looks forward at her, and Leina smiles as she reaches over the seat towards Lucine with an outstretched hand, "Leina Ashta. Very nice to meet you. Lucine right? Banagher's told me about you." Her eyes then slide over to Liam and if he looks deeply enough he might see a sorrow that contrasts her smile, "And you must be Liam." Her thoughts are upon the vision that Banagher saw, that he told her about. She has theories, she has speculation.

She doesn't mention any of it. Even if they hadn't just met - the two are out on a date. And she's not about to ruin that for either of them. The fact that he is on one, says a lot, "You two must be excited, I know I am!"

She takes a glance towards Emilia and Mineva, tonight they're just two girls at a concert... there's nothing unusual about that at all. And she thinks that's just wonderful. A glimpse of Nunnally in her wheelchair makes her... wonder.

Then the lights dim, and Leina's gaze snaps forward in excitement, squeezing Banagher's hand extra tight. As Sheryl makes her entrance. The stage bursting into sparkles of light. As she welcomes them, Leina calls out, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHERYL!"

And the song starts with Universal Bunny, one of her favorites, if her barrette is any indication. Sheryl starts into the song, and Leina can only murmur, "God, she's so impossibly hot..." As she adjusts her glow wand to the colors of the audience.

Between black and white, two sides of the same coin, the visual spectacle of switching back and forth over the clockwork of the spectacle. The white bunny is pursued through the forest, only to be caught by the whip. Each verse showing the sexy dichotomy between the two. Leina finds herself nibbling on her lip a bit, as Sheryl gives the audience that sultry stare.

When the outro finally comes, Leina cheers at the top of her lungs, "SHERYLLLL!" Before glancing aside to Banagher mischievously as the audience dies down a little, "So what did you think?" She teases, as she can very well imagine what she thinks, just giddy with excitement herself.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Lina had certainly had a lot of things on her mind over the last month or so. Her father, Amuro Ray, the White Gundam, the fact that her mind was potentially awakening to a higher state of being, feelings of inferiority, the constant stress and trauma of a world at war... (In fact, there was something niggling at the back of Lina's mind in this auditorium that reminded her of Torrington, curious.)

         But if there was anyone in this world outside of the Lombardi family that knew Linelise Beatrice Lombardi, it was Alina Pride. And once the music began and the Galactic Fairy came on stage, all of Lina's stress and all of her pains melted away, just as Alina had predicted. The shine of the stage reflected off of Lina's eyes, giving her eyes the life that they had been lacking for weeks now. She grabbed one of Alina's spare glowsticks and waved it to the beat, cheering out with all her heart.

         "SHERYYYYYYYYYL! LET'S GO, BABY!"

         "Hey, that was mine! ...Never mind. SHERYL!!!!"

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka thinks to check her phone as she's sitting down... and she's surprised to see that she has a message from someone she didn't expect to hear from. Still, she elects to respond to the message from Ennil.

> Yeah, I'm a big Sheryl fan. Didn't realise you were, too.

Rikka pauses for a moment. She briefly scans the crowd, looking for signs of Ennil. With that disguise, though, it's hard to pick her out of the crowd.

> Oh, no problem. Glad to help.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka thinks to check her phone as she's sitting down... and she's surprised to see that she has a message from someone she didn't expect to hear from. Still, she elects to respond to the message from Ennil.

> Yeah, I'm a big Sheryl fan. Didn't realise you were, too.

Rikka pauses for a moment. She briefly scans the crowd, looking for signs of Ennil. With that disguise, though, it's hard to pick her out of the crowd.

> Oh, no problem. Glad to help.
> 'She'? Do you know someone here?

...A friend, or a 'colleague'? Rikka's curious about it, but it feels rude to ask directly - she knows it wouldn't be the first time Triple Zero made an... appearance, at the Frontier. She considers her words for a moment, then continues.

> I don't know what's going on between you, but... maybe not now, but you should talk to each other. If you don't, it's just going to hurt more.

...Rikka frowns a little, at that. Like she can talk, really... She exhales. Ah... she shouldn't think like that. She came here to get away from the heavy stuff.

> It's okay. I made a sale off it too, so I'd feel bad about accepting a gift for it.
> ...If you see any cute bags, though, let me know so I can snag one after the show?

Not long after that the lights dim and go out - a sign that the concert is about to again. She watches with interest at the theatrics as they unfold, and... Sheryl leaps onstage! Sheryl cheers to the crowd, and Rikka cheers back.

"Happy birthday, Sheryl!!" Rikka calls out, hands cupped around her mouth to project. Then, the song begins.

Universal Bunny is always an... experience. Definitely a guilty pleasure. Sheryl's ability to perform is always just incredible. It's just so...

...Rikka elects not to finish that train of thought, instead electing to join in with the crowd cheering for Sheryl.

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

A little embarrassed laugh. "No more vending machine food for me, I promise. Yeah, I just had Haro play the songs... This is really going to be amazing!" Banagher can't help but feel the excitement of the crowd thrumming in his heart, Leina's feelings echoing strongest.

But after the selfie, Leina looks a little distant. There's something... Banagher glances around. Something familiar. "Yeah, sure thing --" Before he can identify the feeling, they're approached by two much more easily identified familiar faces. "Lucine, right?" Banagher asks, gently. "It's good to see you both safe and well. And if Liam is with you..?" With an uncharacteristically mischevious head tilt, he raises an eyebrow at the other Newtype.

Liam is holding Lucine's hand. Banagher grins. "Liam! You look good. It's wonderful to see you happy. Have you ever been to a concert like this before? It's my first time."

Banagher can't say much else to Liam or Lucine! The lights dim, and he scoots forward to sit on the edge of his seat. Liam's a little tall, but it's fine -- it just gives Banagher the excuse to lean in close to Leina to look around the large man's shoulder. Sheryl announces that it's her birthday celebration, and Banagher softly says, "Happy birthday.", along with Leina, just to be polite.

Once the song gets going in earnest... He smiles at the appearance of the white bunny. This is pretty nice! Very girly, very cute. No wonder Leina likes -- woah! She's really... shaking her bottom at the crowd, and her chest is getting bigger on the screen! Banagher blushes. He's not quite sure where to look. Leina says it's hot... "Y--yeah! Wow!"

Almost feeling as though he's been granted permission to watch, Banagher manages to focus on the performance. His cheeks burn hot at the appearance of the whip, and the ropes -- wow. Is this really allowed?! His own glow wand sits forgotten as Banagher stares at Sheryl, mouth hanging open.

As the song winds down, Leina is shouting and cheering next to him, and Banagher recovers just enough to cheer as well. He claps, waving around his colorful wand. "Sheryl! Great job!"

Leina looks his way, and Banagher covers his face, laughing in a flustered fashion. "I've never seen anything like that -- I -- uh." He uncovers his face, then leans forward to hide it on Leina's shoulder. "Wow. Wow!" Another laugh. "She's, um. Extremely talented..!"

If this is just the opening act... Is he going to survive this show? Banagher manages to raise his face to glance back at the stage. Grabbing Leina's hand again, he squeezes it tight, giving her an embarrassed little smile. "This is incredible. I think I might pass out!"

<Pose Tracker> Brera Sterne has posed.

The power of song...

The song that has carved its way into her fans' hearts, their chosen favorite, the one that, presumably, makes them feel. The life of an idol isn't always easy to understand, but Brera understands something about chasing emotions... and how a song can lead one there.

Brera straightens as the performance begins. He removes his sunglasses, the irises of his cybernetic eyes turning and shifting. He spares a moment of his attention on the performance, on the song, and on the lyrics as Sheryl's voice resonates through the concernt hall.

...

His brows knit. He looks over the audience. Fans screaming out birthday wishes, calling her name, cheering her on. Some sing or hum along. The power of song, stirring their emotions? Which emotion, exactly...?

Brera squints.

Perhaps this isn't so easy to understand.

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Ennil actually had voted on the poll, but she'd only known one song - one of the ones off the first album, a name she'd actually heard - and the other two were literally just the first ones that came up on a basic search.

One of them was Universal Bunny, though! It's a comfortable feeling - and she actually manages to chuckle warmly at Leina's shout. After everything, she had to at least give this a shot, see what all the fuss was about.

>Yeah, an old friend.
>Looks like she's on a date though.
>...
>You're the second person to tell me something like that, haha

The lights dim, the music begins, and --

"Wow," Ennil mutters, taking it all in and being grateful that so little of her face is obvious right now. Thankfully, she is spared from elaborating further by her phone.

>You got it.
>She's really incredible, huh?
>I mean...

She giggles a bit, leaning back to really take it all in.

>You know what? THAT'S one I'm keeping quiet.

Still, it is surprisingly freeing. For once, her head's not inside her heart, and she can't help but join the cheers as the song closes, letting her voice ring over the crowd.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        There is a marked difference in how Lucine now walks and holds Liam's hand: the same embarrassment is there on some level, but she openly displays the giddiness on her face. Though perhaps the change is better seen in Liam's.... everything. Could this be considered a date? An official one? They never called it that, but it might as well be one, right?

        "Oh, you named it?" Lucine smiles. "That's a wonderful name! Ah, I've never thought of naming my plants, but maybe I should! But if it's outgrowing the terrarium, that is a very good sign... oh! Ah, Liam is very tall. It makes a lot of things easier when I have his help in the greenhouse." Her hand swings idly with his. "Oh! That's right, we should go before it gets to be too late..."

        Now, as she and Liam meet Banagher and Leina before the concert, Lucine's attention is dragged towards the question/mystery/pause/something unknown ebbing from Leina as they shake hands. "Ah, he has? I hope it has been good things... sometimes we meet in bad situations, but Banagher has always been someone to depend on in a crisis." Which leads to--

        ".... I never got to thank you, for that day, Banagher." She bows her head slightly, her expression gaining a sober tone for a brief moment. "Tell your co-pilot that I thank them as well." She doesn't go into specifics, which is intentional, as she quickly reverts back to concert mode. "... There's no concert quite like a Sheryl Nome concert. I think you'll have a great time."

        Which leads to..... NOW.

        Lucine's cheeks color a little, sensing the levels of burning admiration(??) of the two behind her during the performance. It always had a different feel hearing this song performed instead of on her cockpit radio... Her eyes chance a look up towards Liam's face, nervous, but a little curious, what his reaction is.

<Pose Tracker> Liu Mei Wang has posed.

        Everyone's overwhelmed by the power of song. By the sheer overwhelming spectacle and imagination that only the Galactic Fairy can provide.

        ...Liu Mei is more assessing how the lavish expenses of these performances have gone a long way into making her the galaxy's #1 idol. How much money does it take to charm the stars? To change them? Is this event straining the limits of willpower focusing the cosmos' eye upon a single person - or is it just getting started?

        It's important to find that out.

        Liu Mei goes for a walk, flashing her extra-VIP card to meander over backstage, wherever there's anyone questioning whether she's supposed to be there. She has the cash, of course she is. Those of true wealth don't just come to these kinds of concerts for the fun of it - seeing how the magic is made beneath the veneered underbelly of entertainment is also their role.

        One very perplexed and, well, stern, Brera comes into view, and Liu Mei unfurls her fan over her face, for maximum important-person-presentation.

        "Well well well~ When everyone's dazzled by fairies, arguably the most interesting sight of all is a heart that hasn't quite been touched. Or is something on your mind?~"

<Pose Tracker> Nunnally Lamperouge has posed.

        "Yeah!!" Nunnally cheers, cracking her glowstick and lifting it up. ("Oh," she asides, parenthetical, to Kallen, "did I do it right?" But luckily, the glowstick is glowing.)

        She can't see the impressive visuals of Sheryl's concerts, but Nunnally loves being here to watch them, anyway. Here, flanked by so many fans with so many reasons to look up at those white and black bunnies, Nunnally can feel the reactions of the crowd -- all the feelings those stunning holographs invoke.

        And as she takes all that in, she reflects on Sheryl's own feelings, that she must feel as if she holds both white and black bunnies within herself. Nunnally reaches this conclusion despite not being able to see the way the bunnies rip themselves off to reveal each other; she has a keen ear, and she has a keen heart.

        In this sea of emotion, Nunnally is warm.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Liam shrinks back a little when Ujico comments on how tall he is--Lucine can likely feel the momentary burst of anxiety about it--but it passes. There are other things to talk about, like the fact that Ujico has a plant of her own. Liam nods amiably as she describes Franklin--he hasn't named his own plant, but he did notice it grew a tiny flower right after he said he hoped it would. "Good to meet you," the big cyborg says, offering a little wave as the two part company.

        Liam glances between Leina and Banagher for a moment, trying to put his new kowledge into practice. They seem comfortable around each other, but Liam't not sure where the threshold lies between "very good friends" and "into one another".

        'And if Liam is with you...?'

        A faint flush rises in Liam's face. He smiles anyway, and nods. "Hello, Leina. And thank you, Banagher," the cyborg says. "Pass it to your copilot." He holds Lucine's hand tighter. "I... first saw Sheryl in Tsutsujidai," he says, on the note of concerts. "Lucine and I went to see her in Zum City." Both of those had been in close proximity to horrible things--the former was the site of a kaiju attack, and the latter was the day someone shot Kaworu in the head. This time is different.

        And perhaps because he's learned to accept and process new relationship possibilities, Liam... is seeing Sheryl Nome in a whole new light.

        'God, she's so impossibly hot...'

        Liam waves his glow wand in synch with the audience, but his mind is elsewhere. He's blushing again. Every weird little feeling he's felt during Sheryl's previous concerts--the warmth, the fluttery sensations, the tension in his heart--has ramped up. As the special effects send the audience flying into Sheryl's cleavage, he tears his eyes away, and--

        Finds himself looking down Lucine's dress. Shit, Liam thinks to himself. Is he thinking about Sheryl? Is he already cheating on Lucine, even though they've been together less than a week? Liam fumbles for the words Leina used. "She's... hot?"

<Pose Tracker> Mineva Lao Zabi has posed.

"I've only heard a few of her songs," Mineva tells Emmy, "I liked them a lot! I just haven't had much of a chance to listen to more..." At the merch stations, she gives some consideration to the posters... and, realizing she doesn't exactly have the most stable of living situations, she instead opts to put down two preorders for the Diamond Crevasse music video.

"I'd hate for you to miss out on getting it for yourself," she tells the girl with a smile, as they proceed to their seats. She holds the glowstick tight in her hand, and as the first song starts, her eyes gleam at the visuals onstage. She doesn't start cheering aloud, but her glowstick is held high, waving along to the beat, both vibing to the music and admiring Sheryl herself. "God, her voice is so powerful...!"

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.

"Yeah!" Rin echoes as Nunnally picks up the power that is 'hype'. Perhaps she cannot teach her the meaning of other arcane things - the power of emoji in the chat; dabbing; many other things. But this? And then

M U S I C

The Bunnies wash over Rin as the show begins.

Rin finds herself shrieking. Why the hell not? It's the thing to do. The entire thing is huge, bigger than Rin herself; the energy is rising upwards and washing over her. She's heard the song a few times here and there, in bits and pieces; snatches roaming through the halls of Ashford. The full debut, though.

SHE IS SO GLAD SHE CAME

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

        Emilia nods. "S-She's singing the f-fan favourites tonight, b-but she has s-s-so many. Good songs." Yeah it's obvious Emmy is a huge fangirl. "I... really like E-Eternity and Infinity, now. Y-you should listen to th-them later." Maybe Mineva will understand why they resonate.

        Mineva just... getting her the second pre-order, Emmy's kind of surprised. "R-r-really? Th-thank you!" She hugs Mineva, quickly, swiftly to not hold up the line, but eagerly nonetheless.
        It's very difficult for Universal Bunny to hit the same way twice. You can't exactly have the moment of self-discovery again. But this time Emmy's ready to hear it as an enthusiastic fan, swinging her glow sticks in time with the music, energy vibrant-

        Only to stop at the giant vision towering over everything. Did Sheryl make the performance more... explicit, or was that just her? (Yes Emmy is bright pink again.)

        Her eyes do linger on those rings for a few moments They're stunning, but so is everything else about Sheryl. That's something she'll have to work out later.

        Either way, when the song if finished, Emmy is flushed and energized, having lost herself in the music. She looks up to Mineva, eyes wide with excitement. "She's r-really good!" She takes a few second to catcyh her breath. "I-I'm glad you c-could see her l-live."

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Soft lights come on in the form of holograms--massive, billowing pink gauze curtains that envelop the stage. At the same time, the instrumentals shift into a softer chime and plink. The curtains shift and layer to the intro melody, until they part at the center to reveal a blown-up image of Sheryl bringing a finger to her pursed, painted lips. A delicate rose gold bracelet hooked around a stylized rose, around which hang a pair of tiny crystals, adorns her wrist.
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxBqxXtD9Lc (pink monsoon, Live Version)
        
        Below, on the stage, she sashays forward. Her strawberry blonde curls spill artfully over her shoulders, back, and chest, and a gauzy pink nightgown lined in pink faux fur drapes over her curves just past her hips, matching her high heels. Bringing her iconic golden microphone to her lips, she sings:
        "Baby pink monsoon... baby pink monsoon~...
        "Lady sings love, mmm... I wanna lose control!
        "It's all about communication..."
        
        The bass drops, and Sheryl grinds to one side in a sensual dance. Glittering light spreads across her body, transforming her negligee into an off-the shoulder salmon pink dress, corseted under the bust in black. The skirt cinches at her right hip and flares out down her left, yellow buttons indenting the fabric, which is hemmed in white and cinched in pairs of marbles, and drapes over a silken, gauzy petticoat. A white strap over the chest hooks into an underskirt on the right--crimson lace over plum over crimson over white. A heart-shaped plaque decorates the backside, and a chunky bead necklace adorns her neck, a contrast to the delicate bracelet on her wrist. Longtime fans will recognize this is a brand-new costume. As she dances, Sheryl smiles suggestively until she brings up a single finger and winks to the beat.
        "Until morning, you and I are just spinning around
        "We've got plenty of time to fall in love: be my boyfriend!
        "Let's waste our youth to get derailed and ruined together
        "Let me influence you deeper and deeper
        "You know this position's the best, yeah?"
        
        Her voice breathy, almost moaning as she sings, Sheryl turns and thrusts her hips as she slides one hand up her curves. The light glints off her bracelet all the way up, until she runs it up through her luxurious hair. A crystalline effect that shimmers up around and behind her gives rise to thousands of reflections of her, until it seems as though she's facing every direction, every fan at once, while the billowing curtains behind her morph into a dense, hot pink rain.
        "Baby pink monsoon, baby pink monsoon~! Lady sings love, mmm...
        "A scandal so hot we fog up the glass window
        "Baby pink monsoon, baby pink monsoon! Lady sings love, mmm...
        "I want you to do whatever you want, don't stop!"
        
        To the bass beat, the pink monsoon throbs red, then gradually settles into a mist that seeps off the stage and up the aisles. The crystalline reflective effect follows it, creating hazy afterimages of Sheryl that spread through the concert hall. Each one dances like a fairy mirage for you--yes, you, and you alone, arching a finger up for the viewer as she croons her song.
        "For the most part, I'm a hot mess; you know that
        "But I'm keeping my hair neat and pretty; I'm old-fashioned
        "It's a 100% juice kind of game! It's pretty crazy, I am crazy for you!
        "Let me influence you deeper and deeper, and then dump me on a rainy dayyy!"
        
        Sheryl's afterimages shatter to the clap of the music, and so too does her costume, breaking away to reveal skintight black faux leather. A sleeveless top with an open chest hugs her top, panels of color along the ribs and a miniature tie over her chest, while a belt and a massive pink ribbon hold her skinny jeans in place, paneled on the side with hot pink hearts to show the skin underneath. Once again, she rocks her hips as she dances, and once her hand climbs up and down her body and into her now-ponytailed hair, she sweeps it back and forth before her, then raises a finger and crooks it at the audience as she smirks and winks.
        "Baby pink monsoon, baby pink monsoon! Lady sings love, mmm...
        "Until your fingers touch me here, don't stop!
        "Baby pink monsoon, baby pink monsoon~ Lady sings love, mmm...
        "I wanna lose control! Hey you, let's do communication!"
        
        The mist bursts upwards to form a spinning hologram of the Earth Sphere, all its continents and oceans adrift as Sheryl sings. As her voices crescendos, the world breaks apart at the oceans and the continents fall, bursting into motes of pink sparkles that swirl into and around the audience in the contours of Sheryl's silhouette. Soon those, too, break apart while the electric guitar reaches its crescendo and the true Sheryl on stage reaches to the ceiling.
        "Even if this whole world is an illusion, oh woah ho
        "Even if clinging to you marks the end, aha...
        "I won't forgive you if you make me realize I'd have been better off alone
        "No-no... Yeah-eah... Crazy for you (crazy for you)... Yeaaahhh!!"
        
        Snapping her arm around, a pink, gauzy veil materializes in her hand and turns with her. When she sweeps it past her body, it clings and then tears away, revealing one last costume change as it ties together at her back into a huge ribbon. This time, she wears a black top patterned with spiky pink circles, open broadly at the chest and tied together under the bust with a pair of belts from which a long tassel dangles. Black gauze drapes over her shoulders and black feathers circle her neck. As she turns to thrust her hips, the only thing on those hips is a grey bikini bottom lined in pink--barely more than a pair of panties. Her long legs are draped in magenta stockings that pattern into butterflies at the top, a pattern that repeats in the gauzy pink ribbon at her back. Her fingertips trace up her curves as she dances, and all around her, butterflies of pink light sprout from the floor and circle up and around her, her sultry smile never fading.
        "Baby pink monsoon, baby pink monsoon! Lady sings love, mmm...
        "A scandal so hot we fog up the glass window
        "Baby pink monsoon, baby pink monsoon~ Lady sings love, mmm...
        "I want you to do whatever you want, don't stop
        "Baby pink monsoon, baby pink monsoon! Lady sings love, mmm...
        "I wanna lose control! Hey you, let's do communication! (Touch, touch, touch...)
        "Let's do communication! Let's do communication..."
        
        The song ends with the last purr from Sheryl's throat, and for a moment, all goes dark and still.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

Lucine upon making contact with Leina's hand may have a brief moment where both of them are caught within an expanse of stars that feels like an ocean both infinite and warm and then... they're just back.

"Oh yeah." Leina tells Lucine as if nothing at all just happened, even if primarily the conversation had been about Liam, "All good things. Ah! So you're both already big fans! Luck~y! This is my first time catching her live."

Seeing Banagher all flustered, Leina gives Banagher a mischievous smile as she teases him, "Yeah? Was it her talent you were staring at?" Leina feels that vague sense of intentionality on her again, but now the auditorium is dark save the stage, and she can't see a thing when looks... towards that section she had before.

'She's... hot?'

Leina's head tilts to the side, looking at Liam's face, then her face splits into a grin. Certainly she can tell he's a bit of a mess but...

...it's a mess that will probably lead to good things if they're dating she thinks.

"Things are about to get even hotter..." Leina comments lightly, as they all know the lineup tonight. Pink Monsoon is that kind of song. At least it was for her, and she finds herself biting her lip again lightly as she catches Sheryl's next costume change in all of its, in the middle of the first verse. And then she gets swept up in the rhythm of just enjoying the song, the visual spectacles. The temperature of the room feels like it went up.

And she finds herself humming the song along with Sheryl's presentation, the next costume change just has her admiring Sheryl's sheer boldness there. As confident as she is, there's just some things she won't wear...

... as the song ends again, she cheers at the top of her lungs again in applause, and as it dies down, she asides to her boyfriend with another tease, "So how about that talent?"

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Lina's face is also a bit pink after the Universal Bunny performance. Were the visuals always this...saucy? She wipes some tears that had ended up gathering at the corners of her eyes. Unlike many of the tears she had shed recently, these were ones of relief. She sniffs, allowing herself one moment of public vulnerability. Maybe it was alright to just...be happy for once. If only for a couple hours.

         Alina looks over to Lina with a smile, some tears of her own welling up behind her glasses. It was wonderful to see her pilot...her cr...her best friend with her perfect smile again. She could only imagine the true depths of Lina's mental health, but as her AWACS, she had a duty to at least watch her 6 on this.

         Oh God in Heaven, Pink Monsoon. This was indeed this saucy. The freakin' hips... Lina thought back on meeting Sheryl at the Diamond Crevasse shoot in Italy. She certainly had a different air to her in person than on stage. She supposed that was the point of being an idol. Hm, this is her 18th birthday, right? Drinking age. Lina smirked to herself wondering if Sheryl had a bottle of the Custom backstage to celebrate.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

With time to check her phone during a break in between songs, Rikka draws hers out again, looking over Ennil's response. A old friend on a date. She smirks, though at the mention of someone else telling her the same thing.

> Yeah, you probably shouldn't interrupt them, then. It can wait. Gives you time to put your thoughts together, too.
> And, it's good advice. The first person who told you must be pretty smart, too.

And then, she gets a new message... A smirk crosses Rikka's face, but if Ennil wants to keep her thoughts to herself, she won't push her. She can at least agree on one point -

> She really is. Her strength is inspiring.

The concert continues, though, so Rikka's phone is quickly put away. Pink Monsoon is another big hit, and yet again Sheryl's performance doesn't disappoint. But when does she ever? Her performance is always impressive.

<Pose Tracker> Ujico Issa has posed.

        "I don't understand," Ujico says, shooting Hong Long a 'help??' glance as Liu Mei drags her out of the booth. She just barely sat down! Is this because she was late?!

        Is she in trouble? Was it that big a breach of concert ettiquette? Ujico has never sat in The Box before. Maybe there are rules.

        But they're... they're going backstage. THAT IS BACKSTAGE, THAT IS NOT WHERE THE AUDIENCE GOES. But, Liu Mei bought the tickets, and Ujico is painfully aware of just who paid to build the Palisade--

        Who paid for her--

        Liu Mei unfolds a fan over her face (and makes it look natural), and Ujico gangles around behind her like an NPC that is very close to glitching.

        "He works here," is the first thing that comes out of her mouth. The uniform proves it!

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Sheryl's concerts are always something to behold. A delight unlike any other in the galaxy or beyond it. When Kallen was just a few months younger... this was all overwhelming. Overloading to her mind. This time, Kallen is prepared and secure in herself. She won't be emotionally obliterated. And so she inclines her head toward Nunnally. "You're doing perfectly." The warmth from Nunna is... infectious. Pure and unfiltered. It warms every heart touched by it, like Kallen's right now.

She can't help noticing how Rin is getting into it in her own way... and she just can't stop from letting the Spirit of Milly influence her. From leaning in her direction next to whisper something that... well, Rin won't ever hear it actually. Because as she's doing so, the song shifts to Pink Monsoon, and that's an experience the crimson pilot wouldn't interrupt for ANYTHING.

Kallen's been victim to THIS before... and while it certainly puts the Wave Surger in her heart into overdrive... She's going to enjoy watching it claim someone anew, with a thin, teasing smirk spread wide across her face.

<Pose Tracker> Brera Sterne has posed.

"I do not understand. This is their favorite...?" Brera squints at Sheryl a moment longer before turning toward Liu Mei. "...She has sang before in ways that have stirred my heart, but I do not feel it in this one."

Evidently, Brera was expecting an entirely different experience out of Sheryl Nome's number one voted song. Namely, he was expecting he would feel something new. Also evidently, bunny suits do not impress him.

He looks Liu Mei up and down. She is not cheering and shouting and staring, either. "Nor do you seem... touched." His stern (oh no) gaze lands upon Ujico as well. A second. Two. Several seconds more. Is he sizing her up? (Yes.)

Another song begins, and Brera's frown deepens.

This one does not make any more sense to him. Nor does it spark any emotion besides perplexity.

But that is an emotion...!

...

"Ah," Brera grunts, finally putting the pieces together, looking back up with a face of uninterested stone. "Copulation."

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

"If you guys ever need anything, I've got your backs. But here's hoping nothing like that happens again." Banagher says, seriously. "And I'll let her know. We were both so worried." Liam reveals the amount of times he's seen Sheryl perform, and Banagher whistles, impressed. "You're a professional, then! Sorry about the kaiju attack --" Banagher's face goes pale, shock in his eyes. "Kaworu was shot in the head?!"

When Banagher saw Kaworu on the moon, he seemed totally fine... Making a mental note to text the other young man and check on him, Banagher tries to focus back on the concert. Shot in the head...

Soft pink curtains come in, as Banagher turns his attention back to the concert. Okay, this one looks more... calm. It's beautiful! His eyes watch the bracelet on Sheryl's wrist, smiling as Sheryl begins to sing. But -- wow, that changed quickly! Her dress transforms, earning a gasp of awe from the young man. The engineering that went into that kind of quick-change must've been intense!

A deep flush trails down Banagher's face, coloring down to his collarbones. "O--oh..." He practically breathes, as Sheryl's sultry voice moans out the lyrics. Mirages dance down the aisles, and Banagher reaches out to touch one, entranced. He's on the very last seat of the row, so it really feels like the hologram is there just for him..!

As the afterimages shatter, Banagher blinks, looking back down to the stage. Another quick-change! Incredible... Sheryl dances and sings with abandon, and Banagher is carried away by her show. He clings to Leina's hand as an anchor against the siren-song before him, Sheryl now wearing even less than he thought someone could get away with.

The song ends, and this time, he's too dazed to clap until Leina starts cheering. Banagher startles, clapping and cheering himself. "I -- uh!" He blushes, but knows Leina's just teasing. "It was incredible! I'm starting to really understand why you love her so much..." A teasing grin from the young man, and he playfully bumps into her shoulder. "I'd really love to know the engineering that went into all of this, I can't imagine how they make those costume changes work."

And he wouldn't mind seeing Leina in a few of those daring outfits, really. Banagher stares at Leina's faded t-shirt, trying to imagine the corseted outfit Sheryl danced in replacing it. "M--maybe that secret merch is a costume replica..."

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Ennil looks down at her phone between songs, and hms.

Bites her lip a little, shaking her hair out.

>Yeah. Yeah, you're probably right.
>Happen to know the guy's a total cinnamon roll, too.
>Reminds me of Yuta, a little.

Still, there's something on the tip of her tongue. But the Galactic Fairy is rarely at rest, and Pink Monsoon is demanding her attention.

Surprisingly, Ennil's into this one in an entirely different way. Universal Bunny had dazzled her and demanded her attention. This... Something about the sheer, earnest force of it, the hunger, resonates in her. When she's offered her very own hologram, she playfully leans in, welcoming Sheryl into her arms with a smile.

And that final costume change. Tremendous. She's a fan for life, no doubt.

When things finally calm down, she flicks back to her phone.

>No kidding. I'm blown away. This is actually my first show!
>...
>I think what I really want.
>Is to ask her? I mean, what she wants matters just as much, you know?

<Pose Tracker> Nunnally Lamperouge has posed.

        Nunnally will probably never grasp the true power of emojis -- her phone is designed for the vision-impaired, so it doesn't even parse them -- but perhaps dabbing isn't out of her grasp. (Perhaps she even already knows of it, given she's friends with Rivalz...)

        And of course, she was sure to smile: "Thanks!", to Kallen, when she affirmed she was doing well.

        The song slips to a more comfortable pace, and Nunnally's hands slow, too, to a more languid wave of her glowsticks, with little shakes of them at each end to match the way Sheryl's voice picks up at the end of each lyric. Maybe one day she'll meet a boy like that, too... oh, well!

        She feels the energy of the venue, amplified once again by Rin and Kallen, and she beams a bright, sunny smile as she hums along to the music.

        Someone like Nunnally can appreciate a song like this for more than just its lust, of course -- because someone like Nunnally understands the sheer amount of communication that can occur through touching hands. She's so, so glad that someone like Sheryl can understand the same potential, even if the amplitude has to be turned up to such a hot level.

        Sharing her heart... isn't so different to anyone sharing theirs!

<Pose Tracker> Mineva Lao Zabi has posed.

Mineva may be bisexual, but she's an absolute disaster of a lesbian, and nowhere is this more clear than it is during Pink Monsoon. She stops cheering and waving her glowstick, face gradually growing red.

It's completely obvious to Banagher and Leina, at least--she's transfixed by the movement of her hips during the chorus, watching the fabric ripple and sway as she moves. The holographic Sheryls actually cause her to reach out, even though she knows they're simply light. There's a feeling rising in her chest at all this, her breath catching in her throat.

She may be quiet and staring, but to Emmy, her expression is enraptured. Her mind is a swirl of barely-formed thoughts, most of them taking the form of some sort of desire-- to be with her, to be her, to reach out and latch onto this carnal feeling and take it for herself.

In short, she's uselessly, head-over-heels infatuated.

"W... wow..." she says quietly as the song ends, eyes shining in the holograms' light.

<Pose Tracker> Liu Mei Wang has posed.

        Liu Mei can't help it. She's snickering behind her fan, followed by a long, oh so amused bout of laughter at Brera's oh so flat assessment. "Well, that's quite a way to learn an awful lot about your deal in no time at all. Admittedly this is Sheryl Nome we're talking about here, and just because sex sells doesn't mean she can't make it a little bit her own. As for me - well, you can think of me as someone adjacent to the performing arts business, so I see a lot of the tricks and seams, and sadly it ruins the magic juuuust a bit, but such is the responsibility of those who make magic happen themselves~"

        She's trying to play the oh so lofty role as an above-it-all benefactor who goes as she pleases, but...keeping her composure in the middle of this song iiiiiiisn't easy. She glances to a particularly audience-seducing plunge of Sheryl's, and even Liu Mei has to waggle her fan a little bit to cool herself down. Maybe with a few occasional furtive peeks away from the subject of her conversation to indulge in the sight of the performance a bit more.

        Pausing, to halt the urge of reaching into her purse for a bit more lotion. Self-control, Liu Mei.

        "Here I thought I'd stumbled into someone with some special callousness indomitable to cultural phenomena, but maybe you're just sheltered the normal way. Whereas my assistant here..." Ujico earns herself a brief little -bap- on the head with Liu Mei's fan for her odd, awkward little movements. "Well, it's pretty obvious she's rather deeply affected by all this. Poor girl, but perhaps that's the obvious curse that comes with having horns on her head."

<Pose Tracker> Rin Starking has posed.

Surely it's going to lighten up after this.

It's not going to lighten up. It gets *even steamier*. The projected hyper-realistic visage of Sheryl looming over them makes Rin scream again. She gets out a glowstick of her own, cracked open earlier and now expended in a bright luminous pink, Kallen's breath felt but her words unheard.

"IIIIIEEEEH!" Rin shouts out. She leans over to say to Kallen from about a foot away, "YOU SAY SOMETHING?" but then back to the song; she could barely manage that during a break between verses, even as the world appears, blue and white and black and silver drenched and drowned in pink! Afterwards, in the momentary break, Rin grasps onto the side of Nunnally's chair for momentary counterbalance, laughing into the chaos.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        Lucine shakes Leina's hand and-- she sees a starry field, an ocean of stars, warm and infinite, encompassing them both. It lasts only a brief moment, but it was still significant.

        What.... was that? A connection? Lucine blinks, hearing what she thought was her name, something about 'Lu--"

        'Luck~y!' ".... ah." Did Leina sense anything, or was it just her? Lucine idly turns over her hand, as Leina talks to Liam. It wasn't... unpleasant at all. Like a connection. Perhaps, it may be a reason to message Leina later, for information.

        But now, there's a different crisis. Liam's reception of the wider world of emotion has affected him more than Lucine had imagined. Lucine feels the spike of something fluttery and not quite new from Liam. The passionate admiration of the two Newtypes behind her add to the intensity, and Lucine's face goes beet-red, feeling a vague drunken mess of emotions assaulting her from all sides. A rough high, that she could ride, if she wanted to. Lucine rubs one eye.

        Are her abilities going out of control?

        Or is she just.... really aware of how Liam is looking down at her? And how she's looking up at him?

        "... Ah, you're... enjoying the concert, aren't you?" she says, with a subtle, sly smile on her tilted face.

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

        Mineva's staring non-response to her question is itself an answer, as Mineva gets to be the one utterly absorbed- if more by Sheryl than the music. Indeed, the first time she encountered the song she was a stunned mess- and the first time a hologram reached her to almost kiss her- Emmy did nearly die on the spot of terminal gay.

        Now though? Now it's simply a very hot performance. It's an excellent song, but Emmy's merely blushing and waving her glowsticks in the air. When the song ends, she has a slightly devious look on her face.

        "Sh-Sheryl h-has that effect on p-people." Emmy says with a smile, before very gently nudging Mineva with her glowstick. "Th-the next one is. Gonna be r-real different." Based on the polls, she knows what the next one is. "It, um. It was the f-f-first song of h-hers I heard. It m-means a lot to me." It might be a real surprise given... how the performances have been so far.

<Pose Tracker> Ujico Issa has posed.

        Ujico looks like a teenage art student with horns and mid-tier fashion sense. Every single piece of clothing she's wearing came from the space equivalent of Wal-Mart, and it looks like the most damage she could do to Brera would be a headbutt.

        Maybe a particularly lucky shin kick?

        Threat level: 11/100, especially since her attention is currently caught by a meandering hologram that... uh, meandered a little too close. Danger! That's so much black latex! How did they make the little hip cutouts? Why does the ruffle stay suspended like that? Even if it's a hologram there ought to be-- *bap*

        "Huh?" Ujico rubs her head and looks back at Liu Mei and Brera. "...Sorry, I'm new," she lies. Yes! Good lie, Ujico!

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Liam averts his gaze for a moment, focusing on Lucine's face. Even through the sunglasses, with eyes that are still adjusting, a Sheryl Nome concert is a visual spectacle. "...Hotter?" Liam says, glancing back at Leina in something approaching ecstatic horror.

        It gets hotter.

        Liam, like all the other Crucible subjects, was never allowed agency over his own body. He always thought of the others as siblings, and still does. It wasn't until he met Lucine that he learned he was a young adult now, with desires and preferences of his own, and a need to love and be loved in this way.

        Sheryl Nome has taken this awakening and strapped a functional Fold Drive to it, and he is losing his shit.

        (He wonders what Lucine would look like in that dress, the one with the black corset. He doesn't dare imagine anything racier than that.)

        (He remembers their first kiss--first the awkward logistics, then the connection, then the tears.)

        'Ah, you're... enjoying the concert, aren't you?'

        Liam tilts her head up, and whispers into her ear: "You'd be gorgeous in that dress." He leaves it up to her to decide which one he means.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        The delicate tones of a piano glide through the darkness in the opening melody of Sheryl's debut song, Diamond Crevasse. Soft lights glow in the darkness, not strong enough to illuminate past themselves but enough to create a sort of starshine through the concert hall. Sheryl vocalizes within it, wordless and yearning, and the spotlight falls on her like a waterfall of blue brightness. She wears a floor-length maroon gown, sleeveless and running from her neck to her chest with dark, see-through gauze that glitters like stars. The bottom of the dress's train sparkles as well, lighting her up subtly, while an iridescent butterfly mask adorns her face. Over her chest, she wears two necklaces: one a series of golden drops that hangs from the choker of her dress, and the other draping further down her chest, displaying a white gold rose charm on a delicate chain from which a tiny rose quartz hangs.
        
        Aside from that white gold necklace, though, the observant will note her outfit matches the one she was wearing in the Diamond Crevasse MV pre-order posters. As she walks, step by step, three massive screens slowly come alive behind her, displaying her front and side and back for all the audience to see. The music sweetens, and the star-like lights sharpen and fall, creating an impression of glowing rain.
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVuho32VSQo (Diamond Crevasse, music video)
        
        It isn't the same as the upcoming music video--but it is an adaptation of it as well as a sneak preview, performed live. And so, she sings:
        "Dear Lord in Heaven, back when I was deep in love with you
        "There was not a moment when I imagined such a parting would tear us in two... oooh..."
        
        Sheryl comes to a stop and raises both arms as if in supplication. At her back, the huge video screens shift to a scrawling, panning shot of a heavily mechanized city with a criss-crossing grid for a sky. Few present would know it personally, but diehard fans might realize it's a cityscape of the Macross Galaxy, Sheryl's home ship--which went missing after a Vajra attack almost a year ago. A second spotlight slowly lights up a grand piano next to Sheryl, and she turns to it with a mournful mien as she removes her mask.
        "If we were fated to never touch each other again
        "Then at least, before I wept, I wanted you to hold me tight and forget for then
        "Our long, long good-bye..."
        
        Delicately, Sheryl's fingers dance over the keys, playing the next set of notes. With slow grace, she sets down the mask atop the grand piano and seats herself before it, phasing herself into playing the piano portion of the song with seemingly zero effort. Above and around her, the massive screens show a pan of her playing, but all around her, all sorts of different masks emerge from within the rain of light, converging in on her. In adoration? In rebuke? In nothing more than curiosity for a spectacle? Their still faces betray nothing.
        "'Farewell to thee, farewell to thee,' times twenty thousand
        "So tenderly and cruelly to myself I said
        "Your gentleness when you waved your hand hitched my breath
        "But what I want now is strength...!"
        
        From the piano, Sheryl's butterfly mask is caught by an invisible wind and is blown up and away, turning through the screens to pass around a dirty little girl with a potato sack dress and long blonde curls. Sheryl turns towards it at the same time the little girl does, Sheryl stricken, the girl dead-eyed, but it's too fast for her--especially as her fingers move through the next chord progression. Voice struck with powerful emotion, her iconic single drop earring glinting bright, she gives up on the mask to commit wholly to the song. The screens above cut from the girl to project Sheryl from multiple angles while the light coalesces into a single round moon high above them all:
        "I encountered you, and then I was born as the stars glittered above
        "So long as I live, so shall I continue to love
        "What's the point in waiting for a hopeless miracle you claim's forgone?
        "'Cause the shining of those stars, blurred by my tears, are all gone..."
        
        Sheryl hangs her head, and her golden hair drapes over the keys even as her fingers refuse to still. The melody progression quiets, but lifts as she raises her chin to gaze upwards towards the image of the moon above. As she plays, the screens depict a gondola floating unmanned down the canals of Nuevo Venezia, the artificial island build in Venice's image after the ancient city was lost to the sea:
        "Forever lingering on my skin, my heart, my dewy eyes
        "I'll never forget your warmth as you held me close like the rays of a sunrise
        "A long, long good-bye..."
        
        As the gondola glides down the city canals, the stage below Sheryl and her piano slowly rotates upwards, lifting her up and framing her between the screens. The overlay makes it appear as though she's playing while on the gondola itself, though there wouldn't possibly be any room for the piano. Even so, she plays, and as the boat drifts through, it passes a wrought iron fence--where the long-haired little girl from before gazes out longingly from the shadows.
        "Farewell to thee, farewell to thee, my dearly beloved
        "Because I had you by my side, I could walk ahead
        "I know I'm not alone, but still I feel so lonely
        "So I want you now to answer me...!"
        
        The dark of night fully envelops the city, bringing with it all that shines with it, from stars to comets to a meteor that blazes across the screens down from the far left, and to the upper right, even the Moon. Shimmering blue light emerges from the piano's feet and streaks, making it seem as though it and Sheryl are soaring through the midnight air.
        "Snatch a blazing meteor out from the heavens to light up a sign
        "I want to keep loving you, I want you to love me for all time
        "What's the point in freezing for a world that won't hold out a hand anymore?
        "I keep putting on airs, but in truth your touch is all I long for...
        "Why can't I find my way? My tears spill so fast, I can't wipe them away...!"
        
        As Sheryl croons through the instrumental intermission, the screens flash with different images--the little girl sitting in the streets on one, a rainy empty city on another, the flare of a VF fighter engine on the third, each one cutting out of sync to a moonlit sea of clouds, to a smudgy shivering kitten sleeping at the little girl's feet, to the glittering lights of a distant metropolis, to a run-down and dilapidated apartment building, to the stained glass windows of the inside of a church, to the little girl curled up on the floor, to finally a projection of Sheryl vocalizing as she passionately plays, one screen after another from all different angles:
        "I encountered you, and then I was born as the stars glittered above
        "So long as I live, so shall I continue to love
        "What's the point in waiting for a hopeless miracle you claim's forgone?
        "'Cause the shining of those stars, blurred by my tears, are all gone--"
        
        At the foot of the raised stage, a thin, pale spotlight illuminates a ghostly image of the long-haired little girl. Sheryl tears her wide eyes towards her, and in a perfect segue from live to recorded, leaves the piano at last to race down the steps towards her. The girl turns to her, likewise surprised, before breaking into a broad smile. She raises her arms just as Sheryl drops to her knees to reach her, and they embrace for just a moment before the little girl dissolves into light. Sheryl's arms part as she stares in surprise at her empty arms:
        "If one day we can be reborn into a world where we're safe and free
        "Then I know I'll find you again, I know you'll race straight to me
        "Never let me go, let us never again take love for granted
        "'I won't let you feel alone,' I want you to whisper to me, planet..."
        
        The last instrumentals twinkle like the expanse of stars reflected on the screens. Sheryl alone is left behind in the spotlight, but as her hands remain outstretched, a white paper airplane sails in, arcs around her, and lands in her palms. She blinks down at it--and it is transformed into the iridescent mask that had been wrested from her earlier. Her features gentle into a serene smile, and she gazes upwards as the screens shimmer like a reflection on the water and blur out, leaving behind only a subtle blue aura around Sheryl that fades out with the song.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

"Much hotter." She reiterated to Liam, mercilessly, before the song began.

Leina's connected enough to Mineva's feelings to know without even a glance... she's having a good time, in exactly the way she was hoping for. "Pink Monsoon has that effect on a lot of girls the first time." She murmurs, pleased that Mineva probably got to hear it for the first time in a live performance.

Banagher gets all adorably flustered at first, and she laughs, but it brings a genuine smile to her face, "Hey if you're really interested, I've watched a few 'making of' videos about that kind of thing. I'll link them to you later." Banagher stares at her, and there's this tilt of her head...

'M--maybe that secret merch is a costume replica...'

Leina's eyebrows shoot up, and she just gives Banagher this sly look, "Why Mister Links, was that your true motivation for offering to buy it for me?" Her face splits into a grin as she leans forward and asks him, "Are you imagining me in it right now?"

The moment the delicate tones of the piano glide through the darkness, Leina quiets - her eyes on the maroon gown, and without any fanfare, she lets her walls down. Feeling vicariously the tsunami of emotion throughout the auditorium as Sheryl begins Diamond Crevasse, she reaches out for Banagher's hand. It's so much, it's too much, and yet she doesn't block it out.

She lets herself enjoy it, this feeling of getting swept away in the emotions of such a song, a special, precious song to her. Within the visuals, within each movement, within the soulful melody and lyrics. Sheryl soars, and she feels like she's soaring too, despite being firmly rooted in her seat.

When it ends, she realizes that her eyes are sparkling with tears. And, a few of them fall, as she smiles. This sort of soulful catharsis a wonderful thing, and for once... she doesn't mind the tears. Beginning the mental exercises to raise them again, she wipes her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Even more memorable than the first time I heard it." She whispers, quietly, and for once doesn't turn aside and tease Banagher, merely squeezing his hand with her own.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Lina sighs and leans back in her seat, happy to settle down a bit along with the show. Of course it would be Diamond Crevasse.

         "You know, Ally, I'm one of the only people who's seen this music video!"

         "You remind me all the time." Still a little bitter about not winning that sweepstakes.

         "...Thanks for bringing me here, Ally. I think I needed this."

         "Of course, Lina. The Juno Squadron team can't have our shining star all dull! I know you've been a bit down on yourself lately, but we've all got your back."

         Lina let out another sigh. Yeah, she definitely wasn't alone. She closes her eyes for just a second and loses sense of where she is, feeling the pure presence of Sheryl and everyone in the auditorium. Their hopes, their dreams, their fears, their insecurities. They and her were all the same.

         For the first time, the cacophany of voices in her head were united as a chorus.

<Pose Tracker> Nunnally Lamperouge has posed.

        Nunnally reaches up, to lay her fingers over Rin's when she reaches out to her chair for support, and smiles to her.

        'Having fun?' She mouths, but the words are lost to the strength of Sheryl's song; the meaning of her support may be translated through her fingertips, anyway.

        Her glow-stick waving slows more, when Diamond Crevasse begins. The loss Sheryl expresses...

        It's not like she can look at it.

        She does grow quiet, though, after that song.

POT: Nunnally Lamperouge is now set observer.

<Pose Tracker> Brera Sterne has posed.

Why is she laughing?

"Why are you laughing?" Brera's expression is unchanged as he regards Liu Mei. She confirms he was right, so it's even stranger she is finding humor in this situation. Humor is, however, another subject Brera does not understand.

But as she explains her place in show business, Brera regards her with a tilt of his head. "I see." Liu Mei fans herself. Normally, Brera would not register this as anything. Feeling alone in the audience, he sees a hint of what it is. So it's just him, then. As usual.

Ujico, you're WRONG. Threat level 100/100 at all times. Nevermind, she just got bapped with a fan while distracted by Sheryl's concert. Vulnerability identified. Resuming standard protocol.

"New," Brera repeats, flat.

The next song begins. Brera nearly seems to be ignoring it, no longer expecting anything. But then --

A flicker across his face, pained. He looks back up on stage, hand slowly brushes his fingers over his chest.

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

Audrey's feelings hit Banagher, making him blush all the more. "She's really having a great time." He says to Leina, grinning. "I'm so happy we did this. And yeah!" Banagher responds, genuinely eager to learn about the mechanics behind the concert. "I'm really curious."

Leina teases him again, and for a moment, Banagher considers pulling his head into his hoodie. But feeling Audrey's thrilled emotions, he rallies, deciding to tease back as best as she can. Reaching up, he caresses Leina's face, winking. "Definitely. You'd be ten times as stunning. Maybe we'll get lucky?"

He can only hold the confidence for a moment, and thankfully, the performance starts up again. Leina reaches for his hand, and he holds it tightly, growing serious as well. Banagher watches Sheryl's dress shimmer, clapping appreciatively. The butterfly mask is an amazing touch, and his eyes trail down the draping necklace. He can't remember ever caring so much about clothes before... This is really amazing.

Oh! She's going to play the piano! Banagher leans in, nearly scooting off the edge of his seat entirely. She's incredible... Closing his eyes, the young man lives in the music for a few seconds. Sheryl's chord progressions are sublime. When he looks again, Sheryl's image is projected from every angle, and she sings, so sadly.

"What is this song about?" Banagher murmurs, half to himself, half to Leina. "It's so sad..."

Banagher can't help but tear up at the emotion in the stadium at the sight of the abandoned child and shivering kitten. Thank goodness, the girl soon smiles, embracing Sheryl. Banagher hopes the kitten is similarly cared for -- before reminding himself it's just a hologram. It's okay.

The song ends. Banagher sits, stunned, unsure if he should clap or cheer after such an emotional piece. Wiping the sleeve of his hoodie over his eyes, Banagher allows himself to float on the feelings of everyone present. Leina's and Audrey's hit him the hardest, as ever. "That was beautiful." He whispers in response, tears sparkling in his eyes in kind.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka considers that for a moment.

> He sounds nice, then.

Soon enough, several more messages flip onto her screen.

> Your first show? Congrats, then. It's always a big experience.
> That's right - communication is always important.

...Rikka pauses for a moment, a frown crossing her face as she considers something.
>That, uh.
> Wasn't related to the song just now, but.
> Anyway, yeah. Ask her. That's the only way you'll know.

And then, the songs continue. This time, in a departure from the previous, is Diamond Crevasse. This one. The other's are good, but this one speaks to her now more than ever. Rikka goes quiet, a fond but melancholy expression on her face, her hands clasped in her lap.

It's... a really good song.

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Ennil sways along with the song. Pink Monsoon had carried her with it, put her heart in Sheryl's hands, and...

Well, she's no less enraptured here. How often has she felt this way? More importantly, how often has she felt this way without it feeling like she needed to shut it down, focus herself on something else? Instead of simply being allowed to live in it and let it pass. The sunglasses have to come down for a bit so she can wipe at her eyes, clear her vision; and the stab of intent bleeding from her heart can't be stopped. She still owes it to so many people to stick around. It's a hard thing for her to accept right now. Trying to think about the future brings back the fog that Sheryl's music has been clearing up, bit by bit.

...ugh. This is a bad idea. Her hands shake when she reaches for her phone this time, and it's not Rikka on the other end.

>hey
>you can be as mad at me as you want
>[a roaring, very SD kaiju]
>having a good time?
>Sheryl's brilliant
>and you're all really cute together
>[tiny haro, flappy wings, a heart under each]
>i'm trying to do better lately
>if we still need to talk...
>you can call me after the show
>or we can meet
>but no -
>[three blue "G" emoji]
>if not, that's cool too
>i miss you, is all
>give Banagher a hug for me, too?
>[piano keys?]
>and enjoy your date

<Pose Tracker> Mineva Lao Zabi has posed.

Mineva doesn't hear Leina and Banagher, but she feels them--and palpably turns her mind's eye toward them, both flustered, amused, and charmed by their reactions to Pink Monsoon. She blushes a few shades deeper, feeling a little bit uncomfortably Seen by Emmy. "Ehe... y-yeah, I bet..." she says, barely audible over the crowd between songs.

And as Diamond Crevasse begins, she watches... but she's not really prepared for what comes next. She doesn't raise her glowstick or cheer. As a Newtype, a live performance like this is another level of experience entirely. The emotion driving the song, the view of that young girl...

This song is personal for Sheryl. And the beauty therein touches Mineva's heart, tears rolling down her cheeks as she reaches over and grasps Emmy's hand in hers.

"Thank you," she tells her, holding tight. She feels she's just witnessed something beautiful. If she could, right now, she'd run up onto the stage and hug Sheryl. She doesn't know what she'd say... just that there's emotion overflowing out of her, full to bursting.

She has no idea where it should all go.

<Pose Tracker> Ujico Issa has posed.

        This time, it's a sad one. Or maybe, wistful? Ujico lets her eyes stray away from Liu Mei and Brera, drawn again to the Galactic Fairy. The slower beat doesn't do much for her, but...

        There's a kitten, and a girl.

        And for a moment, Ujico's heart hurts, a slow squeeze of itching tension in her throat, fresh heat prickling her eyes. It's not-- it's not even a real cat, she knows, but--

        She looks away from it. It hurts. She doesn't like it. It reminds her. But the security guard looks uncomfortable too; pained, in his chest, the way Ujico is.

        "...Does it hurt?" she asks him.

        Humans want to be comforted when they're in pain. ...Ujico wants to be comforted, when she is.

        "Do you want to hold my hand?" she offers sincerely, offering it to him. "It might help."

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

For all the fun Kallen's having watching steam pour from Rin's ears, as the song fades she pats the poor girl's shoulder. "This is how it was for me too, the first time. It just... took a few hours to really sing in." Ah, memories. Such a wonderful thing. And embarrassing had anyone seen her during Full Meltdown.

But the next one, it hits her in a much different way. Sheryl's other great skill... Opening the floodgates of her heart. It's been a gradual process, opening her up to the world in this way. But at every turn, it's steadily happened. She isn't bursting into a flood of tears this time. But she is humming along with it. Heartfelt and just a touch melancholy.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        Liam is whispering in her ear as Sheryl is singing/purring that One Song, and now, Lucine's mind goes pleasantly blank for a lazy, wonderful moment.

        Dress. A dress. Liam wants her to wear a dress, for him, and, Sheryl's dress? Which one? Sheryl has some very pretty ones, but some are a little risque, but would it not be nice to wear something like that? But they're so well-made, and likely tailored! And...

        ".... I don't.... have the budget for that...." she says, dreamily, not really thinking about what in the world she's saying.

        A singer of the sort that Sheryl Nome epitomizes can be a medium for emotion, summoning the feelings her audience locks away like a priestess of old, and allowing themselves to wear whatever masks to become the role they wish to embody.

        That's just one way of doing things. Sheryl's of a different calibur. This was a personal song for her, and Lucine wonders how much of this was influenced from Sheryl's own past, and how that child became the young woman known about the galaxy for her voice.

        There's another bent to it, as Lucine applies her own emotions over the lyrics, and the recent events that happened. The loss of Liam, the crassly violent loss of the Dianthus, the way her mother looked at her over the video phone call, when Lucine told her the news. 'It's okay, what's important is that you're alive.'

        Like how it was good that Liam was still alive and 'well', when Lucine found him in Tsutsujidai. But she couldn't be happy with just that.

        Lucine leans her head against Liam's shoulder, tears dotting her cheeks. ".... I tried to tell myself that it was good that you were safe in Tsutsujidai," she says, when she thinks Liam's ears are close enough to hear her. "Mr. Igaguri came with me.... he knew I was in love with you before I even told him. It's funny... how so many people around us knew, but we spent time telling ourselves that we had to keep quiet?"

        Her hand finds his, and she interlaces her fingers with Liam's own, pressing her face into the side of his chest. ".... 'I won't let you feel alone.'"

        It was Sheryl's own lyrics that mattered the most, for this moment.

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

"Flatterer." In the darkness Banagher may have trouble seeing the faint flush, but it doesn't trip her up at all. "You're probably not 'that' lucky."

In the end, the song hits Banagher hard as well, and Leina smiles at Banagher, "Sheryl's talked about it in interviews sometimes. Life on Galaxy was difficult for her - and its meant to get those feelings out from her time living that way. Her loneliness, her grief, her sorrow."

There's a smile, "Growing up in Shangri-la, I feel really close to this song. Sure I had Judau but..."

Leina trails off and there's this shake of her head, "... what's important, is how the song makes you feel listening to it. If you want to see it as a love song, a parting song. Well, there's no reason not to.

There's a chime of the first few notes of the melody of Northern Cross as her Vertex indicates she has a message. Leina looks sheepish, "Oh forgot to turn off notifications..."

As her hand glides into her bag and she picks it up.

And freezes... she reads the first message. Then all of them as they come in.

She doesn't answer at first, she just scans the messages over and over and reads them over and over. Banagher will feel her being incredibly conflicted for a time. And then she taps back a message.

>no ggg blue?
>that's the cosmic law talking
>ennil there are a lot of things I want to say to u
>u made a really stupid call
>and i am gonna chew u out
>long and hard
>for the impulsive decision u made
>because of your survivors guilt
>but we will find a way to save u
>if u want to talk then ill figure out a way to do it safely
>but i cant trust u right now
>because 000 might make you decide
>to do things u would not normally ever do
>because u think its the best thing for the universe
>or maybe the kindest, most merciful thing for me

She takes some time to herself, thinking about how to respond.

>it is not personal
>but i have to protect myself
>but we can talk, and there are ways to do it safely
>so i dont end up infected by 000 and thinking
>that the people I love should die for a greater good
>the best thing for u is ggg blue
>and i know u won't agree
>and i know i can't convince you because it won't let u be convinced
>but ill contact u soon so we can talk

Rubbing her face, there's a sigh, and she just... shows Banagher her phone.

"She wants me to give you a hug." She notes quietly, as she stares off into the distance.

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

        Emmy's very quiet as Diamond Crevasse begins, and her hand is on the arm of her seat. She's mouthing the song- but not trying to sing it. She doesn't want to stammer through here. Right next to her, Mineva is becoming aware of feelings that Emmy can't catch.

        She's already crying as Mineva takes her hand- she knew she would be. Next to her, Mineva might feel Emilia's feelings. Her memories of someone lost, the woman in her locket. The way this song forced her heart to open to the people around her. She's watching the stage as though nothing else matters, but her tight squeeze of Mineva's hand is a reminder that someone did.

        She's sharing this most precious feeling, these most precious moments, with someone she never thought she'd meet. With her family

        Family that she wouldn't have met had Milly not insisted she attend a little concert eight months ago.

        Tears stream down Emmy's face when the song's finished, and when Mineva thanks her, the younger Zabi simply gives her cousin a small smile and a nod. It's going to take her some time to get her voice back after that.

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

"Gotcha..." Banagher murmurs, at Leina's explanation of the song. He can't help but think of his mother. Those last few months together, and the happy times before. He lays his head on Leina's shoulder for a moment, collecting himself. "It's beautiful, whatever someone thinks of it. Sheryl's a true artist."

Straightening up again as Leina's phone goes off, he's about to tease her, when she freezes. Concerned, Banagher waits for her to tell him what's going on. It's not from Audrey -- he can see her and Emilia down there, and they're still having a nice time. They're safe. As Leina's feelings grow more tumultous, he reaches out to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

"Ennil..." His brow furrows as he reads the messages. "She's alive. I'm so thankful." Free hand coming to brush through his hair, Banagher thinks quickly. "What do we do here..? Do we call someone, or -- just let her go?"

000 is still so confusing to Banagher. Every inch of his heart wants to save Ennil, to rush to her side and do something to make this right, but... Leina's right. They can't risk being infected. Banagher grits his teeth, then pulls his own phone out.

"I'm gonna message her too. Whatever you choose here, Leina, I'll support you, okay? You know way more about this than I do. We're in this together."

With one hand, Banagher taps out a message, gleaning Ennil's number from Leina's phone.

>Hey, it's Banagher
>I'm so glad you're safe
>Thanks for letting us know
>We gave Leina your message and
>We just want you to be okay
>All of us
>No matter what, that's true, okay?
>I promise, we're gonna do all we can
>For you and Miss Loni both
>Please keep yourself safe until then

Once he finishes, he offers his phone to Leina, as well.

<Pose Tracker> Brera Sterne has posed.

Brera's gaze dips back to Ujico.

Does it hurt? His focus turns inward, and there's a moment's pause as he contemplates the question.

"Yes," he finally says, though there is no pain in his voice. Flat. Blank. Always struggling to hold onto it. But it hurt.

Her hand is offered toward him, and Brera regards it in another moment of uncertainty. Would it help, as suggested? Would it stop it, leaving emptiness behind? Would there be something else in its place?

Worthy questions. Only one rational way to determine the answers.

Silent and stilted, utterly unpracticed with the gesture, Brera takes Ujico's hand. His grip is without warmth under his skin, the pressure of touch barely there. He holds, and he keeps listening.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        "You're beautiful," Liam whispers. He has to lean down a little, and it makes it more obvious, but he doesn't care. "You don't have to wear it. Just picture it." In fact, the one she's wearing now looks just fine, now that he thinks of it. He slips a hand around her back, and rests it on her hip, giving a gentle little squeeze. Is it the curve there that's doing weird things to his brain? Maybe.

        Then Sheryl reaches into Liam's chest and starts playing a different set of heartstrings. Tears trickle down his face as the young girl appears. She's alone. Destitute. Forgotten. He hears Leina speaking behind him, and wonders if Sheryl is an orphan, like he is. If she had to go to bed with an empty stomach. If she had to huddle beneath a reflective emergency blanket to keep warm. If other refugees took care of her despite them having nothing either.

        Lucine is crying into his shoulder. "I love you," Liam whispers.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        The birthday concert continues apace with much energy. The next song is electric, passionate Northern Cross, which Sheryl sings from back atop the raised stage platform, cutting trails of light in the form of a cross with her fingertips. After that, it's the yearning pounding of Eternity, to which she dances as holograms of Valkyrie fighters shoot by behind her. Infinity follows--a popular combination, having originally appeared on the same single as the previous song-- with Sheryl clad in a silk red dress and gloves with her hair illuminated lavender.
        
        She trades red for white and defiance for bittersweetness for the next song, I Became An Angel, where feathers trail in her wake. Then, the last song for the night pumps her and the crowd up again as her outfit shimmers between a blue ship captain-esque costume and black bondage strips for Sagittarius * 9 PM: Don't Be Late, the perfect piece for a Sagittarius like Sheryl to close her birthday concert. It also finally, finally, finally features the aerial acrobatics of Alto and the rest of the EX-Gear Stunt Club. Yes, Alto, Sheryl absolutely made you wait all night to strut your stuff. You're welcome. <3
        
        At the end of the show, Sheryl takes her bows and accepts her applause with her golden microphone in hand. Her costume has shifted to the brand-new salmon pink dress from the start of the Pink Monsoon performance, designed especially for her birthday bash. "Thank you all so much for coming out to see me tonight! Your enthusiasm and support always drive me to do my best in all my performances, from all your applause--to all your fan mail." Sheryl winks towards a certain section of the audience. "But this show has had such a great energy from everyone. I really loved singing and dancing for every one of you," she cheers. "Since my last birthday, there've been so many changes in my life that this time last year, even for a diva like me, I could never have imagined being where I am now. A lot of sad things have happened... but I've also met a lot of irreplaceable new friends and had so much fun learning all kinds of new things. And I haven't lost a single spark since then, either! This coming year, and all the years after that, you can expect to keep seeing lots and lots more of Sheryl Nome, from music to battle--and of course to fashion!"
        
        She turns her head to one side and slowly sweeps a hand up through her hair, showing off the ring, necklace, and bracelet from her previous performances. "Like these--a limited edition accessory set I collaborated on with the international jeweler, The Kiss! I've been excited to show them all off to you all night, and I'm even more excited to announce they're on sale starting now until the end of the year--or until they sell out. Whichever comes first! As a star, it's a sad reality that I'll never get to meet most of you face-to-face, but we can at least share the same accessories along with the same memories of tonight." She plants a hand on her hip and raises her chin, blue eyes sparkling. "Normally they're order only, but I made sure to have a selection available for sale right here at this venue, just for you guys. I hardly ever do this kind of fan service!"
        
        With a playful wink, she settles a bit. "That's all for tonight. It's always a little lonely to close out a celebration, but knowing the next concert's always just ahead keeps me going. So it better keep you guys going too!" She grins and blows a kiss to the crowd. "Thank you all again!! This has been the best birthday party ever! 'Til next time--be good boys and girls! <3"
        
        Waving goodbye as she quotes her song, Welcome to My Fan Club's Night!, Sheryl takes several steps back onto the mobile portion of the stage and sinks slowly down out of sight. With that, the concert comes to a close. As promised, the new jewelry line that Sheryl showed off tonight is for sale out where the glass display cases were. The silk covers have been removed, so fans can now get a close look at each piece and buy one (or several!) if they please.
        https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/829115454084612096/1044310773196931072/sheryl_20.jpg
        
        The ring, bracelet, and necklace are all available in 14-karat gold, rose gold, and white gold, accented in pale amethyst, white crystal, and rose quartz, respectively. They're also available individually and in sets, so there's plenty of options. Clerks explain they're generally available for online order, so even if they sell out before one can pick one up--and they will definitely sell out--there'll be other chances.
        
        After that... who knows where the night will take everyone? It's up to each fan now to decide how best to live it up tonight! (Or if they've lived it up enough and want to go home now. To each their own!)
BBSYS: Post 446, 'Sheryl Nome x THE KISS Jewelry CM' succesfully published to IC News/Rumors.
BBSYS: Post 446, 'Sheryl Nome x THE KISS Jewelry CM' has been published to IC News/Rumors by Sheryl Nome.

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

Ennil can't bring herself to interrupt, either. She stares at her phone, breath hitching - especially in that long, thoughtful pause - and only slowly starts to move her fingers again when she's sure it's over.

>you're right
>i want what's

But that's the fog again.

>no
>i want you to decide what's best for yourself
>and if that includes me
>i'd like that, but

More messages. Banagher, too? Promising to save her. That's the thing that scares her about him sometimes. The way he puts himself out there for people, even when it's dangerous. It's already gotten him hurt before.

>right now i think we want different things
>and i would never take that away from you
>...

Something actually grinds fully to a halt, there, and for the first time Ennil is aware of it as something outside of herself.

>no. that's true but it isn't.
>you knew better again.
>that's kinda scary
>tell Banagher not to worry?
>people have been taking care of me
>and thanks
>keep in touch.

<Pose Tracker> Banagher Links has posed.

The rest of the concert is a whirlwind of emotion and spectacle. Banagher's mood quickly lifts again watching the performances. He cheers and claps, waving his colorful wand whenever Leina does. Each outfit, each song, is more spectacular than the last.

Sheryl announces the new jewelry set, and Banagher is instantly leaning forward, tapping Liam on the shoulder. "Liam. We've gotta go, right now, those things are gonna sell out in a heartbeat. Come on!" Practically tugging at the older man's arm. "We've gotta go!"

Before Sheryl can even finish her goodbye message, Banagher is running down the aisle, making a beeline for the merch counter they stopped at earlier. Liam is either with him or he isn't! "Hello!" Banagher gasps, out of breath, when he reaches the counter. "Four -- four of everything, please!"

He can afford it. He's still got a large majority of the money Sayla gave him when they went to Sweetwater -- though this will pretty much wipe out the last of it. It's a worthy cause, and he's hell-bent on doing everything he can to express how much he loves the women in his life.

Heavy-laden with packages, he returns to Leina, grinning like a cat that got into the cream. "I got them. One of everything, for everyone. You, Audrey, Emilia, and Ennil -- everyone." He has a moment of shock. "Oh no, should I go back and get one for Miss Loni? Does she even like jewelry?"

<Pose Tracker> Leina Ashta has posed.

"Call someone here? That'd be a bad idea. There are thousands of people here." Leina tells Banagher quietly, "We should let her go, for now... unless she does something rash. It's the right call to make."

Leina waits for Banagher to finish messaging, and she thinks about the subject. There are ways she could have Ennil purified without involving GGG Blue, she wouldn't even have to lie to her. She'd gotten word that Domon was around again, him and George could pull it off probably.

However, she doesn't want to make any impulsive decisions. Domon and George are two people with such big hearts, but are not necessarily the more subtle people, or the greatest strategists. She'll talk to Mamoru, she'll talk to the Alliance, they'll come up with a plan.

Banagher hands the phone back, she reads the messages, and waits for the reply. She tries her best to enjoy the end of the show, with Sheryl despite that. The mystery merchandise? Well... some part of her wants it.

Ennil's messaging comes... and Leina waits, waits for it all. Even as Banagher gets up and runs away with Liam. She sits there and takes her time.

>whats best for myself
>is that i save u
>then i yell at u a lot
>maybe not in that order
>but either way both those things are gonna happen
>because i care about u and i want good things for u
>and this?
>this is not a good thing
>for u or anyone
>help will be coming for u and loni
>it will hurt
>but u will live
>and u will live much better
>after the aura of the dawn is not twisting the way u think
>more than usual

She looks up, again trying to think of what to say and eventually...

>i will tell him
>but u know he will anyway
>ill be in touch

Pinching her nose, there's a separate chime on her phone when there's a notification that 500 gilla has been deposited into her account. And a text from a very different person: 'This money doesn't come back with you. Usual rules.'

There's a sort of an affectionate exasperation at the timing, but it makes her smile... as Banagher returns with his packages, and Leina actually laughs, "Banagher how should I know if she likes jewelry? ... No, I'm not going to let you message Ennil to have her find out. Don't even ask."

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        ".... You think so...?" Lucine says, as Liam holds her, her lips pursing slightly fluttering as he finds a curve on her that she had... never considered before.

        Liam likely never considered his height until she pressed her head underneath his.

        The next few songs thrill and delight, and Lucine allows herself to fully enjoy each and everyone as part of the crowd, wrapping her arm around Liam's upper arm as she cheered after the last.

        ... And then sighed as she realized it was all over. ".... You know, I never asked, but... maybe we can consider this our first date? As... boyfriend and girlfriend. What do you think, Liam?" She grins up at him, giving him a kiss on the underside of his cheek. "It's even better than the last time we went to her concert..... How can it be a birthday if she's the one giving the gifts?"

        Well, not everything is free, as Sheryl mentions the new jewelry line. "... Ah...?"

        Banagher is ALREADY ON IT. "Ah, we need to hurry!" She's already doing calculations in her head. Her budget was this, but if she carried over this number and did this--

<Pose Tracker> Ennil El has posed.

The thing that's important to Leina is saving her?

And, well. Chewing her out, but that's pretty fair, all things considered.

Ennil lets the night come to a close without anything further, simply engrossing herself in the music. And when the new jewelry is announced...

Look. A cute bag is one thing. But she's not going to expect a high schooler who's already walked through a whole hall full of merch to have had the foresight to also cover actual jewelry.

So there will be a cute bag for Rikka, with a little gift tag on it. Ennil insists.

She just won't mention the bracelets at the bottom. Rikka can find those when she gets home.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Liam holds Lucine tight for the rest of the concert. Any worries he'd had about being seen have vanished; all that matters is being here, with her, and with his friends. It's a bit of an emotional coaster ride, as the Newtypes can likely deduce, but he emerges from it... happy. Content.

        And for a long, long time he'd thought BioNet had beaten that out of him. There are still holes in his heart, pieces where his family should go, and even more pieces where his found family should go. But this part, at least, is whole.

        Liam blinks behind his glasses, and smiles a bashful little smile. "Of course," he says. He returns her kiss, a gentle touch of his lips to her forehead. "She's--"

        Limited quantities. The objective will be sold out if he delays any longer. "En route," Liam says, as he rises from his seat. "Lucine, up." And if there is no objection, he's going to scoop her up and princess-carry her all the way to the merchandise counter, with all the speed he can muster.

        While still being conscientious of other people, because completing Objective: Acquire Girlfriend's First Memento doesn't have Sub-Objective: Be a Jerk About it.

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

        The concert already over, Emmy... walks calmly instead of running, disappearing in the crowd and reappearing with the skill of someone who is used to getting away with the last bargain. She sees Banagher rushing back to the seats, but barely has time to wave to him before he's rushing off. That was... a lot of merchandise. Was he that big a fan?

        When she gets to the front, she's looking at the rings most intently. She could afford the 14k, if she really stretched her budget but... She's done her research. The rose gold is cheaper, and more durable. And with a few weeks saving, or a good week at the cafe...

        "Um, c-could I g-get a r-rose gold ring? Size th-thirteen?" This one is for her, today. But there's always online orders.

        She'd like to get a matching one for someone later.

<Pose Tracker> Mineva Lao Zabi has posed.

Mineva walks alongside Emmy, staring for a moment as she watches Banagher dart past with armfuls of merch. "What the heck...? I'll have to ask him about that later," she says with a hint of amusement. She's standing off to the side of the line--she's a fan now, but she'd have no clue where to start.

"Ooh. The rose gold is really pretty," she says with a smile, agreeing with Emmy's choice. "Are you busy after this? I know it's a bit late, but I was thinking we could get something to eat to round off the evening... this has been really lovely, Emmy." Mere months ago, she didn't even know she had family left. Now, she's sharing something Emmy loves, and she's seen the magic of it now. She doesn't want the day to end, as much as she knows it'll have to eventually...